Natural Science 0119 - The Biology of Inequality

Wherever one looks, one finds an association between wealth and health. The greater an individual, family or large social group's access to resources and political power, the better their health and nutrition. As well, how, how well, and why this connection applies also varies. In this course we will start with the data showing the connections between inequalities and measures of health such as life expectancy and infant mortality, exploring the US over time and more equitable countries. We will then focus on understanding how processes such as stress, nutrition, pollution and implicit racism get under the skin and are linked to health outcomes and life chances. We will explore the changing dynamics of race and class in relationship to health and nutrition. Ultimately, we will explore the way that inequalities in the US might be harming everyone's health and well-being. KEYWORDS:nutrition, health, race, inequality, biology

In/Justice Students are expected to spend a minimum of 6-8 hours of work outside of class time per week