This course examines health and illness in a social, cultural and historical context. The first part of the course focuses on physical or behavioural 'symptoms' without any apparent organic aetiology (e.g. sick-building syndrome), appearing in members of specific groups or localities (socio-genic illness). The second part of the course considers socio-cultural shaping and experience of other more prevalent disorders.

Code
PY3069
Name
SOCIETY, ILLNESS, & HEALTH
Credits
4
Pre-requisites
College Level=Sophomore OR PY1000CCI
Co-requisites
None
Can be taken twice for credit?
No
Discipline
PY (Psychology)
Level
Undergraduate
Type
Regular
CAMS ID
3020
Last update with CAMS
understand the concepts of medicalization and healthicization and be able to formulate their own point of view concerning the pertinence of these concepts
Students should understand the role played by patient advocacy groups in the fight for medical recognition of “emergent illnesses”
Students will be able to historically situate and define the term “Culture Bound Syndrome”, as well as understand the debate about using this term in Psychiatry
Students should be able to analyse current media representations of dissociative identity disorders, depression, stress, phobias and conduct disorders
Students should be able to develop their own points of view in ethical debates about health behaviour modification
Students will learn how to write a mini-monograph on a possible occurrence of sociogenic illness (either a historical or a contemporary one), on an “emergent illness” or on media representation of mental illness
In addition to reading assignments students are expected to compile a bibliography for their mini-monograph, and will learn how to develop strategies for bibliographical research
Students will learn about the use of historical archives in Psychology
Term Code Name
Summer 2021 PY30693WK1 SOCIETY, ILLNESS, & HEALTH