In the first section, we will explore how people experience illness and wellness. The course's second section will focus on health care providers. We will learn about these individuals, as well as some issues relating to their work. The third section will focus on the health care institution and its organization and disbursement of services. I will provide readings to explore these issues.
Social gerontology is the interdisciplinary study of older people.
It derives insight from areas as disparate as anthropology, political science, and biology to name a few. However, this course will focus upon the social aspects of aging, drawing largely from the sociological literature. The course will be divided into three sections. The first introduce the life-course perspective to you. The second will deal with aging in social contexts and we will explore aging in families, friendships, retirement and post-retirement lifestyles, emphasizing how aging is a natural part of the life course.