Topic:  Medicine in America:  Physicians, Patients, and Their
Problems

Americans spend more on health care than any other country in the
world.  Despite that fact, they do not have better health than
citizens in other countries and often they have worse health
outcomes than citizens of countries spending less on health care.
These findings are closely associated with high level of  inequality
within American society; the more advanced segment of the population
has health outcomes comparable with those experiencing the best
health in other countries but the more disadvantaged segment has
much worse health outcomes. Sociological concepts and frameworks can
help us understand and explore the social problems facing American
society today.  In this class, we will use the sociological
perspective to understand health and illness of Americans, the
professions of medicine, and the social organization of health
care.
Furthermore, we will look at how these aspects of American society
compare to similar issues in other countries.  Broadly speaking,
this class covers these three main topics.  (1) How is health and
illness defined in society; (2) How the health of individuals is
related to larger societal structures; and (3) How individuals come
to understand their condition and how they respond to it.