Health and Society Course Descriptions

An introductory course focusing on human reproduction to demonstrate some basic biological principles. The course includes discussion of cellular and organismal processes related to the development of human biological complexity. Current research in reproductive biology and its impact on the individual and society is considered. Lecture and laboratory. Primarily for non-science majors; credit not applicable to the biology major.

The course will examine moral dilemmas created or intensified by recent advances in medical technology and study ways of analyzing those dilemmas to make them more tractable. We will focus on examples such as euthanasia and the right to die, abortion, behavior modification, allocation of scarce medical resources, in vitro fertilization, genetic screening and engineering, and human experimentation. PREREQUISITES: Recommended for freshmen and sophomores

Natural disasters are commonplace and are becoming increasingly costly in terms of economic impact and loss of human life. Through readings, lectures, and interactive labs we examine the root causes of natural hazards such as landslides, flooding, earthquakes, and tsunamis. We consider also the role humans have in elevating common hazards into humanitarian disasters, including the potential impact of global climate change on future events.

Environmental degradation impacts some individuals and communities more than others: the poor, people of color, and certain nonhuman species and landscapes bear the brunt of our collective actions. This seminar pairs literary texts (novels, short stories and poems) with nonfiction essays on topics ranging from food production to indigenous rights. We will discuss and write about how these texts impact our understanding of fairness, justice, rights and responsibility.

A course investigating the links between geology and health, with a particular focus on issues of environmental justice. The course considers topics such as human lead exposure from soil and water, the links between air pollution and asthma, and environmental health concerns presented by a changing climate. PREREQUISITES: GEOL/GEOS 110, ENST 150, or CHEM 116

A study of microbial life with an emphasis on prokaryotes. Microbial physiology is examined in the context of how unique characteristics allow microbes to exploit a vast diversity of environments, including the human body. Laboratory exercises introduce students to techniques used to safely study microorganisms. PREREQUISITES: BIOL 130 and BIOL 150, CHEM 116 recommended

This course explores the link between mind and body from various psychological perspectives such as social, clinical, and psychobiological. We will survey the role of stress, emotion, self-regulation, and individual differences as predictors of health and illness. We also will examine assessment, diagnostic, treatment, and ethical issues in psychophysiological disorders. PREREQUISITES: PSYC 100 or sophomore standing

A study of the major mental disorders. Theory and research into the origins of each disorder are examined from a variety of perspectives (psychoanalytic, biological, cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic). PREREQUISITES: PSYC 100 or sophomore standing

A lecture and laboratory study of the principles of inheritance, gene expression, introductory genomics, sex determination, and the concepts of historical and modern eugenics and genetic engineering. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing and BIOL 130 and BIOL 170/BIOL 280 (or concurrent enrollment) or ANTH 140

A study of the development of behavior and mental processes from conception through middle childhood. Topics include prenatal development, attachment, children’s language skills, social and cognitive development. A variety of theoretical perspectives are covered. PREREQUISITES: PSYC 100 or sophomore standing

The aim of this course is to introduce students to important health issues that different racial and ethnic communities face. The course will explore in-depth a range of issues relating to racial and ethnic health disparities and it will analyze these issues via structural, systemic and cultural frameworks.

An introduction to the multidisciplinary field of global health, emphasizing health inequities, transnational health issues, and partnership-based approaches to meeting important public health challenges. Topics include social and ecological determinants of health as well as strategies for prevention and care. Analysis of historical case studies and discussion of contemporary health concerns. Discussion/lecture format; writing, exams and presentations. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore Standing

This course focuses on the assessment and treatment of mental disorders. Each of the major approaches to conducting psychotherapy (e.g., psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, etc.) is examined. Students also start developing their clinical assessment skills. PREREQUISITES: PSYC 281 and PSYC 250 or 290

Students will develop an understanding of modern human biology as the outcome of interactions between evolved genomes and the myriad environments in which we are born, develop and live out our lives. Topics of study will include evolutionary approaches to reproduction, growth and development, health, behavior, adaptation, and life history. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 140, BIOL 150, or consent of instructor

An introduction to the comparative, cross-cultural study of health, healing, and beliefs about the body and illness. Topics covered include: (1) biocultural approaches to understanding health; (2) social determinants of health (how social inequalities become embodied); (3) medical systems, including biomedicine, as cultural systems of knowledge and practice; (4) the social construction of illness and health; and (5) an introduction to global health. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing, and ANTH 110 or 140

This course provides a basic introduction to human nutrition. It then considers the evolution of human nutrition through the study of primate nutrition and the putative diets of human ancestors. Finally, it considers anthropological approaches to understanding cross-cultural, intracultural, and life-cycle variation in modern human nutrition. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 140 or consent of instructor

An interdisciplinary examination of the ways in which behaviorally active drugs exert their effects, drawing on research in pharmacology, psychology, biochemistry, anatomy, and neurophysiology. Provides an understanding and appreciation of the role of behaviorally active drugs in people’s lives, today and in the past. PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing; at least one prior biology course recommended

An examination of how the body maintains homeostasis. The various physiological systems (e.g., respiratory and cardiovascular) will be studied at multiple levels of organization, from molecular and cellular to the macroscopic. This course is primarily aimed at students entering the health sciences. The course will have both lectures and a laboratory component. PREREQUISITES: BIOL 150

A seminar examining one particular issue or set of issues in bioethics. PREREQUISITES: PHIL 120 or two courses in philosophy

This course uses ethnographic studies from non-Western and Western societies to understand how the experience of aging throughout the life course not only differs cross-culturally, but also within the same society over time in response to increased longevity and biomedical advances. Of particular concern will be cultural constructions of health, well-being, disability, and dependency, including in-depth analysis of aging in Asia. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or sophomore standing

This course will use discussion, alumni visits, and self-reflection through which students will engage in a process of exploration of careers in health care, broadly defined (ranging from medicine, physical therapy, other allied health careers, public health, and health-care related fields such as health care administration). Students will learn self-reflection and discernment based on their values and personal strengths. PREREQUISITES: sophomore standing

This course will cover the basic concepts of immunology, including differentiation of immune cells, antibody structure and function, antigen-antibody reactions, the major-histocompatibility complex, the complement system, immune responses to pathogens, allergies and auto-immune diseases, and comparative immunology. The course will also examine recent advances in the field through current peer-reviewed publications. The weekly laboratory will examine the basic questions, experimental subjects, and procedures of the field. PREREQUISITES: BIOL 130, BIOL 150, and junior standing; or consent of instructor

This course will cover the basic concepts of immunology, including differentiation of immune cells, antibody structure and function, antigen-antibody reactions, the major-histocompatibility complex, the complement system, immune responses to pathogens, allergies and auto-immune diseases and comparative immunology. The course will also examine recent advances in the field through current peer-reviewed publications. Lecture only. PREREQUISITES: BIOL 130, BIOL 150, and junior standing; or consent of instructor

This advanced discussion seminar considers applied critical medical anthropology's contributions, in terms of theory, research, and practice, to addressing community and global health concerns. With a political-economic framework, we will focus on the social determinants of health and how both macrostructural forces and local conditions have to be considered for effective health development. Reading response papers, final research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 342 or ANTH 340, and junior or senior standing

This advanced seminar, for students who have already had an introduction to medical anthropology or to poststructural anthropological theory, draws from critical theory and ethnographic research to study biomedicine as a system of knowledge and social practice, including discussion of the radical societal changes and ethical debates arising from the global application of biomedical technologies. Response papers, final research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 342 or 200, and junior or senior standing

Disability is a social and lived category fundamental to human experience. This advanced discussion seminar draws from experiential, reflexive, phenomenological, and critical approaches in cultural and medical anthropology to cross-culturally explore the subjectivities of perceived disabilities in both local and global worlds. Topics may include: autism, learning disabilities, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, chronic pain, d/Deaf culture, and other categories of social impairment. Papers, research paper and presentation. PREREQUISITES: ANTH 110 or ANTH 342, and junior or senior standing