Business, Behavior, Health and Society

Catalog description

This course will examine the intersection of business, behavior, health, and society. We will consider the business of health (e.g., weight loss companies, 24 hour gyms, advertising of the fad-type health products and programs, and advertising of health products and of unhealthy products such as fast food). We will also examine the culture of health and illness (e.g., comparing cultures to look at healthy and unhealthy behaviors and the cultural perceptions of those behaviors). Across these questions we will consider how these issues play out in the context of contemporary societies. Applied real-world opportunities: Students will conduct an audit of their own access to health-supporting environments (e.g., memberships) and compare this familiar access to something new (e.g., a different culture). The experiential component also includes options for assisting with human subject studies on the effects of advertising on diet or the success of weight loss or get-fit programs and creating a business plan for a health-related company.