DSOC 3020

Political Ecologies of Health

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2019-2020.

This course investigates the relationships between political economy, the environment, and health to understand how disease and the desire for health transform social and ecological systems and how these systems impact human health. Using contemporary case studies from the United States and the Global South, we will critically analyze how class, race, and gender affect specific populations' health differently from others. We will move across scales from ecosystems and global development institutions to farms and cities to homes, offices, and bodies. We will also explore the roles capitalism, economic inequality, and environmental and social justice play in creating diverse health outcomes. Topics include infectious diseases; food, famine, and obesity; disasters and disease outbreaks; and environmental toxins including nuclear and chemical contamination.  

When Offered Spring (offered alternate years).

• Articulate how health and disease relate to political-economic development processes, governance institutions, environmental transformation, and social inequality
• Critically analyze how class, race, and gender play a role in creating diverse health outcomes
• Develop qualitative social science research skills by conducting an original research paper investigating the linkages between development, environment, and health/disease

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