Health and Society

Health and Society is a multidisciplinary program of study consisting of courses from several disciplines, which is designed as a part of liberal education. Students considering careers in health care administration, health policy and planning, or social services will find it an appropriate concentration. Health and Society concentrators planning careers in medicine should consult with a Health Professions Adviser about pre-medical requirements.

Health and Society Committee Members

• Dean Harper, Ph.D. - Professor of Sociology, Director; x54333; dean.harper@rochester.edu
• Kelly Barbic, MS - Administrator; x52354; kelly.barbic@rochester.edu (on leave 07-08 ac. yr.)
• Jennifer Sherwood, Interim Administrator, x52354,, jsherwood@mail.rochester.edu (for 07-08 academic year).
• Theodore M. Brown, Ph.D. - Professor of History and of Community and Preventive Medicine, Chair of the Department of History; x52051/51545; theodore_brown@urmc.rochester.edu
• Anthony Carter, Ph.D. - Professor of Anthropology; x58734; atcarter@troi.cc.rochester.edu
• Richard Dees, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Philosophy; x58110; dees@mail.rochester.edu
• Bruce Jacobs, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science, University Dean of Graduate Studies; x55319; bruce.jacobs@rochester.edu
• Nancy Reynolds, MPH - Health Educator; x3-5772; nreynolds@uhs.rochester.edu

A student may choose a Health and Society Concentration or a Health and Society Minor.

Questions about Health and Society includes many commonly asked questions and answers about this area of study.

Tips for Health and Society Majors (and those who want to be)

Health and Society Concentration

This concentration consists of 12 courses, distributed as follows:

Required Courses - 4 courses

HLS 116 Introduction to Community Medicine (offered alternate fall semesters, not open to freshmen)*
STT 211 Applied Statistics for the Social Sciences (or approved substitute)
HLS 201 Research Methods in the Health Sciences**
HLS 301 Senior Seminar in Health and Society

*offered alternate fall semesters
** Offered every spring semester

Core Courses - 4 courses

ANT 216 Medical Anthropology
ECO 236 Health Policy
HIS 208 Health, Medicine and Social Reform
HIS 209 Changing Concepts of Disease
HIS 305W American Health Policy and Politics
PHL 225 Ethical Decisions in Medicine
PSC 245 Aging and Public Policy
PSY 283 Behavioral Medicine
SOC 262 Medical Sociology (not offered every year)
CAS 394 London Health Sciences Internship*

*Only one of these courses may be counted toward the Core requirement. If both are taken, one must be designated as an Elective.

Elective Courses - 4 courses

Choose from this list or from the Core list, excluding the 4 courses used to satisfy the Core Course requirement.

ANT 218 Birth and Death: Anthropology of Vital Events
ANT 278 Solving Population Problems: Global Perspectives
ECO 261 State and Local Public Finance
ECO 263 Public Finance
HLS 216/217 Peer Health Advocacy I & II*
HLS 391 Independent Study (requires approval of faculty adviser)
PHL 103 Moral Problems
PSC 216 Legislative Process
PSC 237 Domestic Social Policy
PSY 161 Social Psychology
PSY 209 Psychology of Human Sexuality
PSY 282 Abnormal Psychology
PSY 367 Gender and Mental Health
PSY 381 Psychology of Developmental Disabilities
PSY 385 Practicum in Developmental Disabilities
REL 208A Medicine, Magic, and Miracles in the Greco-Roman World
WST 206F Feminism, Gender, and Health

* HLS 216, offered in the fall, carries 4 credits. HLS 217, offered in the spring, carries 2 credits.

This list of electives is not exhaustive. Almost every semester, one or more new courses which fit under the HLS "umbrella" are offered. Because these frequently are "one time only" offerings, they are not included here. They appear on the HLS course compilation for the semester in which they are offered. Also, please note that not every course on the list above is offered every year. Questions about the availability of particular courses should be directed to the offering departments.

UPPER-LEVEL WRITING
The upper-level writing requirement for Health and Society consists of HLS 116 and ONE of the following Core courses: ECO 236W , HIS 208W, HLS 209W, PSC 245W, PSY 283W, and SOC 262W. HLS 301 can also be used to satisfy this requirement. Students with two majors must meet the writing requirement in BOTH majors.

INDEPENDENT STUDY AND INTERNSHIP COURSES:
Only two independent study/internship courses (Health Services Practicum, London Internship, HLS 391), may be counted toward the Health and Society concentration. Students wishing to enroll in additional semesters of independent study or internship are free to do so, but only two such courses will count toward the major.

HONORS:
Students who wish to work for an honors degree in Health and Society, which involves the writing of a senior thesis, should apply to do so in the fall semester of their senior year. A set of instructions can be obtained in Lattimore 312.

MAINTAINING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM:
In order to retain as far as possible the interdisciplinary character of the Health and Society concentration, students are urged to select courses from a variety of departments. A program which includes four or more courses from a single department is not likely to be approved. In the case of double majors, only two courses from the second major may count toward Health and Society requirements.

GRADUATE COURSES:
With written permission of the faculty adviser and the course instructor, senior Health and Society majors may enroll in graduate courses from the Master's in Public Health curriculum and may substitute these courses for "regular" Health and Society courses. Senior wishing to enroll in a graduate course should make sure that they have completed any prerequisites. In addition, seniors should understand that enrollment in graduate courses is strictly at the discretion of course instructors. Instructors are free to limit any undergraduate enrollment to those seniors who are prevented by an irremediable conflict from completing the Senior Seminar or one or more Core courses.

ROCHESTER CURRICULUM:
A HLS major with a second concentration in another department or program within the Social Science division of the curriculum must identify which of the concentrations he or she is using to meet the Social Science requirement. The rule which limits to one course overlaps between the concentration and a Cluster in another division applies only to the concentration the student has designated to meet the Social Science requirement. Thus, a student majoring in Health and Society and Political Science may legitimately complete the "Ethics and Values" Cluster (Humanities) with three courses from Health and Society provided (s)he designated Political Science for the Social Science requirement.

Health and Society is an interdisciplinary area of study drawing upon a wide range of fields. The minor is intended for students who wish to apply the skills of their major concentration to the areas of medicine, health care administration, health policy and planning, or the social services. The minor will also be attractive to students who want to explore a secondary interest in the health field. For students whose major falls within the Humanities or Natural Sciences Divisions, completing a Health and Society minor will fulfill the Social Science requirement.

Five courses are required:

*HLS 116, Introduction to Community Medicine (offered every other Fall)

*HLS 201, Research in the Health Sciences

*Three core courses chosen from the following list:
ANT 216 Medical Anthropology
ECO 236 Health Policy
HIS 208 Health, Medicine and Social Reform
HIS 209 Changing Concepts of Disease
HIS 305W American Health Policy and Politics
PHL 225 Ethical Decisions in Medicine
PSC 245 Aging and Public Policy
PSY 283 Behavioral Medicine
SOC 262 Medical Sociology
CAS 394 London Health Sciences Internship

None of the courses included in the student's core major may be counted toward the minor.

The minor is administered by the College Center for Academic Support, which is located in Lattimore 312 and is supervised by the Health and Society Committee. Students who need help planning their minor should seek advice from members of the committee (listed below). The minor form must be submitted to Lattimore 312.

Most Commonly Asked Questions about Health and Society.....

1. Q. How do I declare a Health and Society major?

A. Start by picking up the handouts in the College Center for Academic Support in Lattimore 312. Schedule an appointment with Kelly Barbic, who will explain the application procedure, help you work out a schedule for completing the major and will refer you to a faculty adviser. Meet with the faculty adviser and ask him or her to review your program and to sign off on the concentration approval form. Finally, submit the signed form to the Center for Academic Support.

2. Q. Can I use courses in my Health and Society major toward a second major?

A. Yes. Up to two courses from the Health and Society concentration may be counted toward the core of a second major.

3. Q. Where does Health and Society fit in the Rochester Curriculum?

A. Health and Society (major, minor, or cluster) falls within the Social Sciences Division.

4. Q. I took a course at another college that I think is relevant to the Health and Society major. How do I get it approved as a concentration course?

A. Prior to declaring your major: speak to a Health and Society faculty adviser about it. Provide as much information as you can (e.g. catalog description, syllabi.) If (s)he approves the course for the major, list it on the Health and Society concentration approval form and submit it as part of your major. The adviser's signature on the form indicates approval of the courses listed.

After declaring your major: get written approval from your Health and Society faculty adviser on a Course Approval Form and submit it to the Center for Academic Support. Be sure the faculty adviser specifies what course this replaces. You will receive a copy of the form when you submit it to Lattimore 312.

Please note: Transferred courses will not be approved as substitutes for HLS 116, HLS 301, or courses from the Core group.

5. Q. Can I use courses in my Health and Society major toward a minor in another field?

A. Yes. Up to two courses from the Health and Society concentration may be counted toward a minor in another field.

6. Q. How do I change the courses in my major once it is declared?

A. If the replacement course is listed as an option on the requirement sheet for Health and Society, you need not do anything. If you're proposing something not listed as an option, get your faculty adviser's written approval and submit it to Kelly Barbic in the Center for Academic Support.

7. Q. When is HLS 116, Introduction to Community Medicine, taught?

A. Every other year in the fall. It is not open to freshmen. As a general rule, students intending to major in Health and Society should take HLS 116 no later than fall of the junior year.

8. Q. How do I get information about the 3-2 program in Public Health?

A. Inquiries and requests for application forms may be directed to the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, x50165.

9a. Q. What is the London Health Sciences Internship?

A. This semester-long or summer program offers students the opportunity to work as interns in a variety of health-related facilities in London. During the academic year, students complete an 8-credit internship and two 4-credit courses. During the summer, only the internship is offered. For details, see a study abroad adviser in the Center for Study Abroad Interdepartmental Programs in Lattimore 206.

9b. Q. May I use a portion of the London program toward the requirements of a Health and Society major?

A. Yes. The internship may be counted as either a core course or an elective. (Please note: The internship counts as a single course even though it carries 8 credits.) With the faculty adviser's permission, a student may use one or both of the 4-credit courses (assuming the content is appropriate) to meet concentration requirements.

10. Q. Where do I get information about internships?

A. Pick up the Internship Guidelines handout from the Center for Academic Support. Several formalized internship programs are sponsored by individual academic departments and the college, some of which may be relevant to Health and Society. With your adviser's written approval, you may use an internship as one of the electives for the Health and Society major.

1. Take HLS 116, "Introduction to Community Medicine," as soon as possible. It will give you a good overview of Health and Society and enable you to make an informed decision about the major.

2. Make it a point to experience the diversity of the major. Even though you have a strong interest in a related area such as Psychology or Political Science, sample as many other disciplines as possible.

3. Take some Economics courses. Some knowledge of fundamental concepts in Economics is highly desirable as background for upper-level Health and Society courses, graduate study and employment. If you don't want to take Economics courses as part of your Health and Society major, you're free to take advantage of the S/F option.

4. Monitor your progress in the major. Because Health and Society is not a highly-structured concentration, it's easy to be sidetracked by other academic pursuits (premed requirements, certificate requirements, second major or minor). You may find yourself scrambling in senior year to finish on time unless your schedule each semester includes an appropriate number and type (core, methods, electives) of Health and Society courses. Check in once or twice a semester with your Health and Society adviser to make sure you're on track.

5. Take advantage of internships and Career Source, the Career Center's alumni/ae database, to learn about career paths. Career counseling is available to those who need assistance in narrowing down their choices.

6. Start thinking about graduate school options. Advisers and the Program Director can provide valuable general guidance and give you tips about specific programs.

7. Consider writing a senior honors thesis. It's a great opportunity to explore a topic of interest in depth while refining your writing skills and enhancing your preparation for work or graduate study. Two of our six 1999 honors graduates were selected to present their work at the 1999 National Conference on Undergraduate Research.