Politics 387HE - Advanced Topics in Politics: 'Health and Inequality'

This course is designed to provide students with both an in-depth study of the political and social determinants of health and with queer, feminist, and postcolonial theorizations of health and the body. We will question and theorize what "health" is as well as study how economic and social inequality distribute unequal life chances. We will examine how race, class, gender, sexuality, and citizenship combine to help some survive and even profit from disease and illness while others perish and experience shame, stigma, and financial insecurity. We will study how politicians, scientists, and public health officials have treated different communities and how various marginalized communities have fought back for improved life chances.

Prereq: 8 credits in the department.