Alright guys here are the study questions for the next exam. We highly recommend you try and print these out and give them a good look over before class tomorrow if possible. See you guys tomorrow!
1. Define medicalization of society?
2. What is the main premise of social constructionism?
3. In the second half of the twentieth century medicalization has
proliferated. What are TWO indicators/trends which evidence this
phenomenon?
4. Define demedicalization
5. Define social control
6. Describe how the dominance of the ‘scientific’ paradigm in the West
has helped to further medicalization.
7. The capacity to create (medical) knowledge in the West is socially
distributed. List three groups who have produced medical ‘knowledge’.
Give examples of the ‘knowledge’ each group has created.
8. In what ways have ‘deviance’ and ‘crime’ been medicalized?
9. How is informal social control different from formal social control?
Extended Essays
A. Direct to consumer advertising has increased exponentially in recent
years. Consider the (positive and negative) effects of this trend for
society.
B. With reference to a specific case-study, describe how pharmaceutical
companies have contributed to processes of medicalization.
C. The institution of (bio)medicine has been afforded increasing
authority to define categories of deviance/normalcy. Consider why and
how this has occurred AND consider the effects of this trend on society.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
No Free Lunch
Okay everyone...finally the blog post you have all been dying to respond to! Check this out....
http://nofreelunch.org/aboutus.htm
http://nofreelunch.org/aboutus.htm
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Study Questions
Short Answer Questions
1. Social epidemiologists aim to identify patterns of morbidity and mortality, define morbidity and mortality.
2. Epidemiological studies have shown dramatic increases in life span worldwide. List 3 other patterns of morbidity and mortality indicated through epidemiological studies.
3. Outline the main difference between reformist and materialist epidemiology
4. How do socio-economic factors shape the distribution and consumption of food, and what are some of the consequences of this patterned distribution/consumption?
5. Our social position (within the socially structured hierarchy) affects our access to material resources for health and wellness. How does access to transportation affect our health?
6. What do we mean by the ‘feminization of poverty’?
7. List three socio-cultural variables which shape how food is used.
8. How have macro political and economic factors shaped transportation in the US?
9. How are environmental harms socially distributed?
10. What do placebo studies suggest about the mind/body relationship?
11. What social groups are most at risk from dramaturgical stress?
12. List and outline/define the three factors which determine how susceptible one is to stress.
Extended Essays
Medical sociologists claim that people’s choices are constrained and enabled by their material surroundings and their social standing in society. Consider this notion by exploring specific material and environmental factors which lead to differential outcomes in regard to mortality and morbidity.
How does social status affect health? Consider both the physical and environmental factors impacting health, as well as the research examining social-relationships, cultural symbolism, and so on.
1. Social epidemiologists aim to identify patterns of morbidity and mortality, define morbidity and mortality.
2. Epidemiological studies have shown dramatic increases in life span worldwide. List 3 other patterns of morbidity and mortality indicated through epidemiological studies.
3. Outline the main difference between reformist and materialist epidemiology
4. How do socio-economic factors shape the distribution and consumption of food, and what are some of the consequences of this patterned distribution/consumption?
5. Our social position (within the socially structured hierarchy) affects our access to material resources for health and wellness. How does access to transportation affect our health?
6. What do we mean by the ‘feminization of poverty’?
7. List three socio-cultural variables which shape how food is used.
8. How have macro political and economic factors shaped transportation in the US?
9. How are environmental harms socially distributed?
10. What do placebo studies suggest about the mind/body relationship?
11. What social groups are most at risk from dramaturgical stress?
12. List and outline/define the three factors which determine how susceptible one is to stress.
Extended Essays
Medical sociologists claim that people’s choices are constrained and enabled by their material surroundings and their social standing in society. Consider this notion by exploring specific material and environmental factors which lead to differential outcomes in regard to mortality and morbidity.
How does social status affect health? Consider both the physical and environmental factors impacting health, as well as the research examining social-relationships, cultural symbolism, and so on.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Forks over Knives
Hey guys,
When you get a chance take a look at this video. It's a trailer that coincides with the China Study.
http://forksoverknives.com/trailer/
When you get a chance take a look at this video. It's a trailer that coincides with the China Study.
http://forksoverknives.com/trailer/
obesity
Here are some interesting articles regarding the obesity myth...
http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/gaesser/obesity.htm#HEALTH%20HAZARDS%20OF%20OBESITY%20EXAGGERATED
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2008/08/11/2008-08-11_study_shows_obesity_often_not_linked_to_.html
http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/gaesser/obesity.htm#HEALTH%20HAZARDS%20OF%20OBESITY%20EXAGGERATED
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2008/08/11/2008-08-11_study_shows_obesity_often_not_linked_to_.html
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The China Study
http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/reports/campbell_china2.html
After reading this article, I would like you to think about what we discussed today in regards to reformist epidemiologists and materialist epidemiologists. Remember, reformists tend to look at the individual, while materialists look at the broader, culture picture, with special emphasis on social class. Outline a solution for the problem highlighted in the China Study as a reformist epidemiologist and then as a materialist epidemiologist. Be creative and good luck!
After reading this article, I would like you to think about what we discussed today in regards to reformist epidemiologists and materialist epidemiologists. Remember, reformists tend to look at the individual, while materialists look at the broader, culture picture, with special emphasis on social class. Outline a solution for the problem highlighted in the China Study as a reformist epidemiologist and then as a materialist epidemiologist. Be creative and good luck!
Monday, February 1, 2010
York County, Maine
Check this out! This is a link to a pdf of the Maine Dept of Health and Human Services District Health Profile for York County, Maine. Scroll down to page 13 and you will find a few graphs regarding income level, education level and health. Keep in mind what we discussed last week and let me know what you think. Are you surprised by the results?
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/districts/york.pdf
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/districts/york.pdf
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Rest Cure
Hey guys, below is the link for the reading that will be discussed in class on Wednesday.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/164/5/737
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sociology 101
Hey Guys.. This probably looks a little familiar, but here is a small list, including the one handed out in class on Monday, of some key terms that will be helpful for you in the long run. Emily & I will most likely be adding to this throughout the semester so be sure to check back here occasionally especially when writing your papers or studying.
Sociology
"Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behavior as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes." (Anthony Giddens, 1989 Sociology)
Medical Sociology
"Medical sociology is concerned with the relationships between social factors and health, and with the application of sociological theory and research techniques to questions related to health and the health care system.
Typical areas of research include the influence of ethnicity, gender, age, or socioeconomic status on the access to and quality of health care; health and risk taking behaviors; social constructs of illness; health beliefs and perceptions; health effects of sociocultural changes; the role of health institutions and health professionals in society; the social implications of biomedical innovations, education, and communication; and other sociological aspects of medical organization and practice." (Nation Library of Medicine: Institute of Health.)
Culture
Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief. Within societies there are subcultures, which exhibit their own norms and ways of doing things.
Social Structure
Several ideas are implicit in the notion of social structure:
The incidence of disease : the rate of sickness (as in a specified community or group.)
Mortality
The number of deaths in a given time or place; the proportion of deaths to population; the number lost or the rate of loss or failure.
SocioEconomic Status (SES)
A family's socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community (such as contacts within the community, group associations, and the community's perception of the family.) (Demarest, et al. 1993)
Sociology
"Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behavior as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes." (Anthony Giddens, 1989 Sociology)
Medical Sociology
"Medical sociology is concerned with the relationships between social factors and health, and with the application of sociological theory and research techniques to questions related to health and the health care system.
Typical areas of research include the influence of ethnicity, gender, age, or socioeconomic status on the access to and quality of health care; health and risk taking behaviors; social constructs of illness; health beliefs and perceptions; health effects of sociocultural changes; the role of health institutions and health professionals in society; the social implications of biomedical innovations, education, and communication; and other sociological aspects of medical organization and practice." (Nation Library of Medicine: Institute of Health.)
Culture
Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief. Within societies there are subcultures, which exhibit their own norms and ways of doing things.
Social Structure
Several ideas are implicit in the notion of social structure:
- First, human beings form social relations that are not arbitrary and conincidental, but exhibit some regularity and continuity.
- Second, social life is not chaotic formless but is, in fact, differentiated into certain groups, positions, and institutions that are interdependent or functionally interrelated.
- Third, individual choices are shaped and circumscribed by the social environment, because social groups, although constituted by the social activities of individuals, are not a direct result of the wishes and intentions of the individual members. the notion of social structure implies, in other words, that human beings are not completely free and autonomous in their choices and actions but are instead constrained by the social world they inhabit and the social relations they form with one another.
The incidence of disease : the rate of sickness (as in a specified community or group.)
Mortality
The number of deaths in a given time or place; the proportion of deaths to population; the number lost or the rate of loss or failure.
SocioEconomic Status (SES)
A family's socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community (such as contacts within the community, group associations, and the community's perception of the family.) (Demarest, et al. 1993)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ice breaker
So we're going to start out with a very basic, but highly debated topic to get everyone talking! This is completely opinion, so give it a shot. Here is the question:
Is healthcare a right or a privilege?
Is healthcare a right or a privilege?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Welcome!
Hey Everybody! So this is our class blog. We will be posting articles, video clips, questions and discussion topics weekly for everyone to respond to. This is critical for your participation grades! You guys can also post any questions you might have about class, assignments or tests and we will be quick to answer them. We will be sending out a class email everytime we post an entry so no one forgets. We are going to be keeping track so be sure to comment. Good luck!
-Emily & Charlie
-Emily & Charlie
Friday, January 15, 2010
How to Blog
Here are some quick instructions to navigating the blog:
1) click on the link to the blog sent in email.
2) Posts appear in chronological order but they are archived in the sidebar.
3) Read the blog and from the main page, click the Comment link under the post on which you want to comment. On an individual post page, scroll down to the end of the post if necessary.
4) You can choose to sign-in and create a blogger account and profile (you will need a name and email address to do this)… If you choose to do this but are not comfortable with having your real name out there in blogger world, you can create a ‘name’ for yourself. Obviously you will have to let me know what your screen name is…
5) You can also leave posts anonymously, but you will have to identify yourself in the body of your comment so that I know who you are
6) You will need to post at least one comment in response to a blog.
7) The blog is public for now. However, if there are a lot of comments from people not in the class which are not appropriate, I can make the blog private (i.e. only the class will be able to access the blog).
8) If there are any inappropriate class comments I can delete the comment.. and I can also make the blog so that I moderate the comments before they’re posted (I’d much prefer not to do this.. so keep it clean and respectful…)
9) You should check the blog regularly – at least twice week.
1) click on the link to the blog sent in email.
2) Posts appear in chronological order but they are archived in the sidebar.
3) Read the blog and from the main page, click the Comment link under the post on which you want to comment. On an individual post page, scroll down to the end of the post if necessary.
4) You can choose to sign-in and create a blogger account and profile (you will need a name and email address to do this)… If you choose to do this but are not comfortable with having your real name out there in blogger world, you can create a ‘name’ for yourself. Obviously you will have to let me know what your screen name is…
5) You can also leave posts anonymously, but you will have to identify yourself in the body of your comment so that I know who you are
6) You will need to post at least one comment in response to a blog.
7) The blog is public for now. However, if there are a lot of comments from people not in the class which are not appropriate, I can make the blog private (i.e. only the class will be able to access the blog).
8) If there are any inappropriate class comments I can delete the comment.. and I can also make the blog so that I moderate the comments before they’re posted (I’d much prefer not to do this.. so keep it clean and respectful…)
9) You should check the blog regularly – at least twice week.
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