Health, Aging, and Medical Sociology

This concentration encompasses medical sociology as well as research on aging and the life course. In general, medical sociology investigates the social causes and consequences of health, illness, and health care. Major advances in the field have come from medical sociologists who have used the life course perspective and situated health and ill-health at the intersections of different power relations including gender, race/ethnicity, class, and colonialism. Our faculty have examined the effects of chronic stress, socioeconomic status, social support, religion, immigrant status, and discrimination on self-rated health and psychological distress among different racial/ethnic groups. Research projects have also explored socio-cultural and political influences on medical and nutritional sciences and medical/nutritional interventions. The medical sociology faculty use quantitative and qualitative research methods and publish award winning books as well as articles in top-tier, national and international social science journals. In the social sciences and at leading universities, medical sociology is a growing research specialization and one of the largest sections of the American Sociological Association.

Core Faculty

Aya H. Kimura, Krysia Mossakowski, Wei Zhang

Related Courses

• SOC 305: Women and Health (3)
• SOC 341: Survey of Social Psychology (3)
• SOC 353: Survey of Sociology of Aging (3)
• SOC 354: Survey of Medical Sociology (3)
• SOC 453: Analysis in Sociology of Aging (3)
• SOC 454: Analysis in Medical Sociology (3)
• SOC 495: Topics in Sociology* (3)