75068 - Health, Technology and Society

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be familiar with the main sociological concepts related to health, with a peculiar focus on the intersections between medicine and new technologies. More specifically, the concepts here involved are: medicalization, social determinants, health literacy, bio-socialities, genetization and pharmaceuticalization, quantified self, gamification. Being more specific, the student will able to: - to analyze social phenomena related to health by sociological concepts ; - to evaluate from the standpoint of sociological theories the consequences of the technology and social networks related to medicine; - to analyze the relationship between new technologies in the health field and social inequalities.

Course contents

Main concepts that will be discussed in the course:
Medicalization; Health cultures and healthscapes; Social theories for global health; Structural violence Pharmachologization; Biomedicalization; Genetification; Human Enhancement; Reflexive longevity; Digital health; Sociology of diagnosis; Neurochemical selves; Quantified self, Gamification.

Readings/Bibliography

 

REQUIRED READINGS

Class #1

Introduction to the Course

Class #2

Conrad P. Shifting Engines of Medicalization, in Maturo A., Conrad P. (Eds.) (2009), The Medicalization of Life, Salute e Società, n. 2

Slides on 12 key words for Medical Sociology

Class #3

Maturo A. Shifting borders of medicalization, in Maturo A., Conrad P. (Eds.) (2009), The Medicalization of Life, Salute e Società, n. 2

Class #4

Barker, K.K. (2014). Mindfulness meditation: Do-it-yourself medicalization of every moment. Social Science & Medicine, 106, 168-176.

Class #5

Scalvini M. (2010), Glamorizing sick body: how advertising has changed the representation of HIV/AIDS, Social Semiotics, 20(3): 219-231

Class #6

Kleinman P. (2010), Four social theories for global health, The Lancet, 375: 1518-1519

Farmer P. (2005), Pathologies of Power, University of California Press, Berkeley: Ch. 1 On suffering and structural violence, pp. 29-50.

Class #7

Lupton D. (2013), Risk and emotion: toward an alternative theoretical perspective, Health, Risk and Society, 15(8), 634-647

Class #8

Horwitz A. and Wakefield J.C. The Medicalization of Sadness: How Psychiatry Transformed a Natural Emotion into a Mental Disorder, Salute e Società, n. 2

Rose N. (2004), Becoming neurochemical selves, in Stehr N. (2004) (Eds.), Biotechnology, Commerce, and Civil Society, Transaction Press, http://www2.lse.ac.uk/sociology/pdf/rose-becomingneurochemicalselves.pdf

Class #9

Oeppen J., Vaupel J.W. (2002), Demography. Broken limits to life expectancy, Science, 296: 1029-1031

Olshanky S.J. et al. (2005), A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century, New England Journal of Medicine, 352: 1138-1145

Class #10

Kaufman S.R. (2010), Time, clinic technologies, and the making of reflexive longevity: the cultural work of time left in an ageing society, in: Sociology of Health and Illness, 32/2 – Special Issue : Eds. Joyce K., Loe M. (2010), Technogenarians: studying health and illness through an ageing, science, and tecnology lens

Class #11

Marshall B.L. (2010), Science, medicine and virility surveillance: ‘sexy seniors' in the pharmaceutical imagination, Sociology of Health and Illness, 32/2 – Special Issue : Eds. Joyce K., Loe M. (2010), Technogenarians: studying health and illness through an ageing, science, and tecnology lens

Class #12

Maturo A. (2014) Fatism, Self-Monitoring and the Pursuit of Healthiness in the Time of Technological Solutionsim. “Italian Sociological Review”, 2014, 4 (2), 157-171

Class #13

Furedi F. (2006), The End of Professional Dominance, “Society”, 43(6): 14 18http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02698479?LI=true#page-1

Maturo A. (2012). Social Justice and Human Enhancement in Today's Bionic Society, “Salute e Societa'”, 2012, XI(2): 15-28

Class #14

Wolf G. (2010), The Data-Driven Life, in «The New York Times – Sunday Review», May 2nd.

Maturo, A. (in press). ‘Doing Things with Numbers': The Quantified Self and the Gamification of Health. Eä – Journal of Medical Humanities & Social Studies of Science and Technology.

Class #15

Fourcade, M., & Healy, K. (2013). Classification Situations: Life-chances in the Neoliberal Era. Accounting, Organizations, and Society, 38, 559–572.

Zinn J. (2008), Everyday Strategies for Managing Risk and Uncertainty Volume 10, Issue 5, October 2008, pages 439-450

Zinn J. (2004), Literature Review: Sociology and Risk, SCARR, Working Paper 2004/1

Retrieved on: http://www.kent.ac.uk/scarr/papers/Sociology%20Literature%20Review%20WP1.04%20Zinn.pdf

Class #16

Uchida Y., Norasakkunkit V., Kitayama S. (2004), Cultural Construction of Happiness: Theory and Empirical Evidence, “Journal of Happiness Studies”, 5: 223-239.

Classes #17-20

Presentations by the students

 

Presentations in the classroom are part of the program.

Presentations will be based on one or more articles on HTS.

Students who do not attend classes must e-mail Prof. Maturo to discuss the syllabus.

Teaching methods

Group discussion, class work, presentations.

Assessment methods

Final examination.

Presentations in the classroom are part of the program.

Presentations will be based on one or more articles on HTS.

Students who do not attend classes must e-mail Prof. Maturo to discuss the syllabus.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint, group discussion, papers.

Office hours

See the website of Antonio Francesco Maturo