Bodies in Society

Catalog description

This course investigates how bodies become sites where social meanings, identities, and inequalities are produced, experienced, and contested. Through sociological research and theory, students analyze how bodies are shaped, regulated, and interpreted across social contexts. Topics include beauty standards, medicalization, gendered and racialized bodies, disability, reproduction, aging, and sexuality, as well as emerging issues such as body surveillance, digital representations of the body, and the growing influence of health, wellness, and biotechnology. Drawing on contemporary sociological research and evidence-based analysis, the course equips students with the analytical tools needed to critically examine how social forces shape embodied experiences in contemporary society. Prerequisite: one of the following: RGS/ SOC 105 , SOC 110 , SOC 120 , RGS/ SOC 150 , ANT 103 , ANT 195 , PSY 100 , or RGS 100 . Offered Annually.