This course is an exploration of diverse spiritual and religious responses to illness using experiential and empirical knowledge. An aspect of health care not often well examined, this course offers students the opportunity to examine common health care practices from a different perspective and to add depth to their understanding. An exploration of the ways in which able-bodyism, sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia contribute to occupational opportunities or barriers and weave their way into health care. A critical examination of the research methods used in the field of human sexuality are stressed as areas of sexual health such as heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and cross-dressing lifestyles are discussed. Emphasis is on historical approaches in behavioral science research and how these lend insight to sexual health today.
Students conduct field work to observe alternative health care providers.
Special emphasis is on chronic illness and disability and narrative structure of clinical interactions. The use of narrative methods provides an alternative approach to the study of health care, one in which the relationship between the story of one's experience is tightly linked to the action. Special emphasis is on mechanism of action, side effects, contraindications, and drug interactions to help class participants be either better informed health care providers or health care consumers. This course reviews from an interdisciplinary perspective the experience of women during the adult lifespan, including how a gender-biased culture affects them from economic, health, psychological, and social standpoints.