AP/SOSC 1801 6.00

Health Controversies: Issues Of Health, Illness And Society

Crosslisted: AP/SOSC 1809

This course is a part of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies General Education Program and will fulfill the General Education requirements for Social Science. It is designed to provide interdisciplinary knowledge and breadth in the area of Health & Society. Health, illness and healing are concepts considered so familiar that they are widely taken for granted among the general populace. Nevertheless, concepts of health, illness and healing have been at the centre of the most politically and ideologically charged debates with which societies have grappled. While these debates largely take place beyond the awareness of the general public, their outcomes have direct implications for our health. In the occasional instances when the political and ideological nature of health, illness and healing become visible, they are labeled by media as ‘Health Controversies.’ Therefore, health controversies provide an engaging and practical way to study the political, economic, socio-cultural and historical aspects of health, illness and healing. Through an examination of some of the major historic and current health controversies in North America and globally, this course examines issues and themes that are foundational to a critical, interdisciplinary study of Health & Society. The course will lead students to appreciate the many factors that influence the health and illness in society, as well as the politically and ideologically charged nature of healing.