Health Science & Society Overview
The Health, Science, and Society minor introduces students to health as a multi-dimensional lens through which to understand how biological, environmental, political, and social forces shape individual and societal well-being. Students in Health, Science, and Society will learn about biological and social determinants of health, how health, debility, and disease occupy a fundamental place in human experience, how socio-economic structures foster wellness and good health as well as disease and health disparities, and the crucial ways that the human-environment nexus shapes health. The minor 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 to promote health equity using different kinds of evidence about health inequalities. Together, these perspectives provide a well-balanced lens through which to consider complex health-related questions.
The minor is supported by faculty with diverse interests from many departments, and it provides a great opportunity for students to gain a strong foundation in diverse health sciences and strengthen their qualifications for a variety of professional directions.
Beyond the classroom, Health, Science, and Society minors learn about the research and field experience of faculty and their undergraduate and graduate student peers through workshops, panels, and informal gatherings. Students have the opportunity to build on and expand their knowledge with hands-on experience through either an internship or applied research.
Minor Requirements
Six total courses:
One course from the biomedical sciences course list shown below
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.
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:
Excluding the statistics course, 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 101 - Introduction to Biology I
BIOL 102 - Introduction to Biology II
BIOL 109 - Microbiology
BIOL 143 - Neuroscience
BIOL 212 - Microbiomes
BIOL 218 - Genetics and Disease
BIOL 236 - Biology of Cancer
BIOL 255 - Virology
BCMB 237 - Chemistry and Biology of Medicine
BCMB 276 - Chemical Biology - Techniques and Applications in Research
Social Determinants of Health Course List
EN 120 - Discovering Environmental Science
EN 265 - Cities, Regions, Climate Change & Health
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
ID 277 - Approaches to Global Health
SOC 241 - Sociology of Medicine
SOC 277 - What Makes People Sick? Social Determinants of Health
CRW 202 - Imagining Place: Writing Health, Science and the Environment
Statistical Analysis Course List
BIOL 117 - Epidemiology
GEOG 110 - Introduction to Quantitative Methods
ECON 160 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis
PSCI 107 - Research Methods
QBUS 110 - Quantitative Methods for Managers
Health Ethics & Values Course List
BIOL 144 - Bioethics: stem cells, embryos and reproduction
PHIL 130 - Medical Ethics
PHIL 104 - AIDS to COVID: Ethics and Pandemics
For 2 electives courses in the minor, students may choose from any of the above or the additional courses listed as electives in the major.
Other Electives Course List (Note that some of these courses have significant prerequisites.)
SPAN 130 - Spanish for the Professions: Medical Spanish
SOC 284 - Community and Health: Non-Profit Grant Writing
SOC 277 - What Makes People Sick? Social Determinants of Health
SOC 180 - Aging and Society
PSYC 108 - Experimental Methods in Psychology
PSYC 109 - Qualitative Methods in Psychology
PSYC 138 - Health Psychology
PSYC 173 - Psychopathology
PSYC 203 - Research in Stigma, Intersectionality, and Health
PSYC 215 - Research on Child Mental Health
PSYC 226 - Research in Men’s Mental Health
PSYC 227 - Research on Addictive Behaviors
PSYC 231 - Couples Research
PSYC 232 - Research in Community
PSYC 236 - Stigma and Health
PSYC 259 - Psychotherapies
PSYC 281 - Understanding and Addressing Mental Healthcare Disparities in the U.S.
PHIL 131 - Environmental Ethics
ID 282 - Community Based Health Research
ID 236 - Spatial Analysis for Health
HSS 298 - Internship
Health, Science & Society Faculty
Ellen Foley, SSJ (Director)
Michael Addis, Psychology
Nathan Ahlgren, Biology
Esteban Cardemil, Psychology
James Cordova, Psychology
Patrick Derr, Philosophy
Tim Downs, SSJ
Charles Jakobsche, Chemistry
Denis Larochelle, Biology
Deborah Merrill, Sociology
Neva Meyer, Biology
Arundhati Nag, Chemistry
Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, SSJ
Nicole Overstreet, Psychology
Deborah Robertson, Biology
Justin Thackeray, Biology
Rosalie Torres Stone, Sociology
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