2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Health, Science, & Society Concentration
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Overview
Undergraduate Concentration The Health, Science, and Society concentration emphasizes the importance of being able to think about complex health-related issues from a variety of perspectives. The concentration is supported by faculty with diverse interests from many departments, and it provides a great opportunity for students from many majors to broaden their view of health topics and strengthen their qualifications towards a variety of professional directions. For those interested specifically in public health, the HSS concentration combined with internship opportunities through the Worcester Division of Public Health offers a good entry point towards this field. The concentration’s core is built on four main perspectives: biomedical science, social determinants of health, statistics-based data analysis, and ethical considerations. Thinking about health, disease, and medicine at a biomolecular level provides a critical perspective for anyone wishing to have a strong foundation in a health-related field. Considering social, economic, and environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, education, the physical environment, employment, social support networks, and access to health care leads to a broader understanding of health issues within a society. In both social sciences and biomedical sciences, the appropriate use of statistical analysis of data is required for appropriate and meaningful conclusions to be drawn. Questioning what is good, just, fair, and compassionate provides insight about what a society or individuals should do with the knowledge that is provided by scientific studies of health-related topics. Together, these four perspectives provide a well-balanced lens through which to consider complex health-related questions. Concentration Requirements
Six total courses: - One course from the biomedical sciences course list show below (which each typically have a couple semesters of intro-level science courses such a Biol 101 & 102 as prerequisites)
- One course from the social determinants of health course list
- One course from the statistical analysis course list
- One course from the health ethics & values course list
- Two additional courses selected from any of the lists (either the biomedical science course list, the social determinants of health course list, the health ethics & values list, the other electives course list, or a combination thereof).
- There are also many relevant courses offered at consortium schools and through study away/abroad programs that can be added to these lists. To request a course to be considered, send a description and syllabus (if available) to the HSS directors.
Course-counting rules: - No more than two of the other six courses may come from any individual department.
- No more than two of the other six courses may be counted towards the student’s major. Any additional transcript designations (second major, minor, etc.) may also have no more than two overlapping courses each.
- A course that is listed on multiple course lists (for example both social determinants and ethics) may only be used to satisfy one requirement, not both.
- In unusual or complex situations, the program head will decide how to apply the spirit of these rules.
Course Lists Biomedical Science Course List BIOL 109 - Microbiology BIOL 143 - Neuroscience BIOL 217 - Ecology of Infectious Disease BIOL 218 - Genetics and Disease BIOL 224 - Ecology of Disease Vectors BIOL 236 - Biology of Cancer BIOL 253 - Darwinian Medicine BCMB 237 - Chemistry and Biology of Medicine Social Determinants of Health Course List BIOL 117 - Epidemiology ID 106 - Healthy Cities ID 108 - What is Public Health? ID 121 - Culture, Health, and Development: What Makes Us Sick? ID 208 - Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions ID 233 - Approaches to Community Health ID 248 - Gender and Health (also on the ethics list) SOC 241 - Sociology of Medicine SOC 277 - What Makes People Sick? Social Determinants of Health EN 177 - Health and the Urban Environment EN 255 - Epidemiology and Biostatistics EN 264 - Environmental and Social Epidemiology Statistical Analysis Course List BIOL 106 - Introductory Biostatistics GEOG 110 - Introduction to Quantitative Methods PSYC 105 - Statistics SOC 206 - Doing Quantitative Research ECON 160 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis PSCI 107 - Research Methods MGMT 110 - Quantitative Methods for Managers Health Ethics & Values Course List PHIL 130 - Medical Ethics PHIL 104 - Ethics and Epidemics: from AIDS to COVID-2019 ENG 125 - Medical Ethics in Science Fiction ID 248 - Gender and Health (also on the social determinants list) Other Electives Course List (Note that some of these courses have significant prerequisites.) SOC 250 - Community and Health: Non-Profit Grant Writing SOC 277 - What Makes People Sick? Social Determinants of Health PSYC 138 - Health Psychology PSYC 236 - Stigma and Health PSYC 281 - Understanding and Addressing Mental Healthcare Disparities in the U.S. HS 206 - In Sickness and In Health - Narrative and the Art of Healing ID 282 - Community Based Health Research IDCE 315 - Global AIDS Crises HSS 298 - Internship
Program Faculty
Charles Jakobsche, Chemistry (Codirector) Rosalie Torres Stone, Sociology (Codirector) Michael Addis, Psychology Nathan Ahlgren, Biology Esteban Cardemil, Psychology James Cordova, Psychology Patrick Derr, Philosophy Ellen Foley, IDCE Susan Foster, Biology Denise Hines, Psychology Esther Jones, English Ernest Krygier, Chemistry Denis Larochelle, Biology Deborah Merrill, Sociology Neva Meyer, Biology Nicole Overstreet, Psychology Deborah Robertson, Biology Marianne Sarkis, Education Justin Thackeray, Biology Courses
Courses offered within the last 2 Academic Year |
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