07234 - Sociology of Health

Academic Year 2012/2013

  • Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Sociology and Criminological Sciences for Safety (cod. 0984)

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed to describe and analyse the several connections between subjectivity, social dimensions and health. At the end of the course, the student will be able to analyse the social and economicdeterminants of health, the traits of medicalization in the contemporary society, the different features of disease/illness/sickness. This will be done also taking in to consideration global health and social stress. Moreover, the student will be able to understand and analyse heterogeneous social situations and its consequences on individual health; to discover pathogenic social contexts, to find meaningful nexus between social stress and socio-economic causes.

Course contents

1. Theories in sociology of health

- the protosociologists in the history of sociology (Ramazzini, Engels, Virchow, Sigerist)

- the founding fathers and sociology of health (Weber, Durkheim)

- theories: functionalism; phenomenology; conflictualism; critical theory

- correlational model

- theoretical analysis of health care systems

- body and society

- sociology of health professions

- social capital, risk, health-paths

- ethical and social aspects in genetics

2. Themes and applications of sociology of health

  • the hospital as a cultural system
  • health communication
  • multiculturalism and health
  • models of participation
  • complementary and alternative medicine

3. Medicalization of everyday life

  • the social construction of diagnosis
  • Disease, Illness, Sickness
  • Sickscape and P-Model

4. Global Health - an introduction

Focussing on medicalization of society: depression, pregnancy, sexuality, human enhacement.

Sociological theories on medicalization.

Socio-economic aspects of medicalization.

Medicalization and the media.

Readings/Bibliography

Maturo A. (2007), Sociologia della malattia. Un'introduzione, FrancoAngeli, Milano.

Maturo A., Conrad P. (Eds.) (2009), The Medicalization of Life, Salute e Società, VIII/2, FrancoAngeli Ed, Milano. (English version)

Remuzzi G., Maturo A., (2005),Tra Igea e Panacea. Riflessioni su medicina esocietà,FrancoAngeli Editore, Milano.

Other readings in English will be suggested during the course


Teaching methods

Lessons in the classroom

Case-histories and tests

Analysis of ads on drugs and on health communications

Assessment methods

Two written tests and a final discussion.

Requirements:

- to have understood the programme

- to be able to develop sociologicalinferencesin an original way

- to be able to apply empirically the main concepts of sociology of health

- to be able to find, study and understand foreign articles

Teaching tools

PC, video, powerpoint

Office hours

See the website of Antonio Francesco Maturo