07234 - Sociology of Health

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed to describe and analyse the several connections between subjectivity, social dimensions and health. At the end of the course, the student will be able to analyse the social and economicdeterminants of health, the traits of medicalization in the contemporary society, the different features of disease/illness/sickness. This will be done also taking in to consideration global health and social stress. Moreover, the student will be able to understand and analyse heterogeneous social situations and its consequences on individual health; to discover pathogenic social contexts, to find meaningful nexus between social stress and socio-economic causes.

Course contents

In the first part of the course, starting from the main concepts of sociology of health - primarily the social construction of the body, health inequalities, the medicalization of life, the illness experience - heuristic tools will be provided for the understanding and analysis of the different contexts of disease and suffering. Furthermore, the following topics will be explored:

- network and health;

- the Life Course Perspective;

- health policies and health professions;

- digital health and big data;

- health cultures

The second part of the course will focus on the changes in the role of the patient in contemporary society. More specifically, we will analyse the consequences of digital society on the experience of care and on patient empowerment. Particular attention will be devoted to the concepts of health literacy, cultural health capital and engagement. Finally, the perspective of digital surveillance will be introduced and analysed.

The third part of the course will examine and critically analyse some aspects of bionic society: biomedicalization, pharmacologization and human enhancement.

The course will also host experts on various health-related topics.

Readings/Bibliography

Maturo A. (2024), Primo libro di Sociologia della salute, Einaudi, Torino

Moretti V. (2020), Sociologia del paziente, FrancoAngeli, MI

Maturo A. (2012), La società bionica. FrancoAngeli, MI

The volume 'La società bionica' can be replaced by:

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

Maturo A. Setiffi F. (2016), The Gamification of Risk: How Health Apps Foster Self-Confidence And Why This Is Not Enough, (with F. Setiffi), “Health, Risk and Society”, 17(7-8): 477-494

Maturo A., Mori L. and Moretti V. (2016), An Ambiguous Health Education: The Quantified Self and the Medicalization of the Mental Sphere, “Italian Journal of Sociology of Education”, 2016, 8(3), 248-268.

Erasmus students should contact Prof. Maturo  in order to plan more readings in English

 

Teaching methods

Teaching will be carried out in the "traditional mode", however active participation of the students is strongly encouraged.

During class, videos will be watched and commented, some group works will be carried out and institutional data will be analysed by the students.

Students interested to write their dissertation in Sociology of health need to be able to read and fully understand English texts.

Assessment methods

Two multiple choice tests on Primo libro di Sociologia della salute,  (each one make up 25% of the final grade) and a final discussion on the other part of the syllabus (50%of the grade).

Requirements:

- to have understood the program

- to be able to develop sociological inferences in an original way

- to be able to apply empirically the main concepts of sociology of health

The final exam is oral.

Requirements:

- to have understood the course program

- to be able to develop sociological inferences in an original way

- to be able to apply empirically the main concepts of sociology of health

- spontaneous study of foreign literature.

Teaching tools

PC, video, powerpoint, social networks

Office hours

See the website of Antonio Francesco Maturo