Proposal for a “Health and Society” Minor at Rutgers University
Submitted by: Department of Sociology (Deborah Carr, Chair; Paul McLean,
Undergraduate Director)
Spring 2013
With the impending integration of Rutgers University and UMDNJ, we are at an opportune
moment for the creation of a Health and Society minor, to be housed in the Sociology
department at Rutgers. This minor would give students the opportunity to study physical and
mental health, health behaviors and practices, and health care institutions in social, cultural,
national, and global contexts.
The Rutgers Sociology department is one of the strongest medical sociology programs in the
United States, and we currently offer many popular undergraduate courses on health. Our
proposed minor program would also draw on the strengths of and courses offered in other SAS
departments including Anthropology, Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and
Psychology (See Appendices A and B). We are purposely limiting the minor to courses offered
by SAS, for administrative ease. However, if the Health & Society minor proves successful, we
ultimately plan to propose a University-wide Health & Society major, which draws on courses
offered at SAS, School of Biological and Health Sciences, Bloustein School of Planning and
Public Policy, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, School of Communication and
Information, and other units on campus offering courses in social and behavioral approaches to
understanding health, health behaviors, and health policy.
A Sociology-based minor in Health and Society could be very popular and valuable to Rutgers
undergraduates. Informal conversations with dozens of undergraduate sociology students have
revealed that many undergraduates who are pre-Med or who are majoring in “hard sciences”
such as biology also take several sociology courses because they recognize its importance to
their careers as future health care providers or researchers. A full understanding of topics such as
social inequalities in health, doctor-patient interactions, cultural influences on health behaviors,
medical decision-making, and biological versus social explanations for mental and physical
health disorders, is an essential component of a well-rounded education for future health care
professionals. The medical community agrees; in 2012, the MCAT (Medical College Admission
Test) added a new required Sociology module. Additionally, medical educators now emphasize
the importance of social sciences in training physicians with effective communication skills and
a better understanding of patients (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/education/edlife/premeds-new-priorities-heart-and-soul-and-social-science.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0).
Rutgers would not be the first university to have a Health and Society program. However, we
would be joining a group of elite major universities – each of which is also home to a prestigious
medical school – to offer such a program. These universities, including Cornell, Emory, Indiana,
University of British Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt, currently offer very
popular concentrations in Health and Society. Their program guidelines and course offerings
provided a roadmap for our creation of such a minor in the Rutgers sociology department (see
Appendix C).
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Appendix A provides a tentative listing of sociology faculty who would serve as core faculty, as
well as sociology courses that we propose as required and/or elective courses for the minor. We
have also provided a list of courses from other departments that would count toward the minor
degree. These course listings have been approved by each department’s Undergraduate Director
and/or Chair, who also offered enthusiastic support for the proposed minor.
The Health and Society minor would require at least six courses totaling 18 credits, including
both upper- and lower-level courses. Three “core courses” in sociology are required:
Introduction to Sociology (920:101); Sociology of Medicine and Health Care (920: 210); and
Sociology of Mental Illness (920: 307). Students are required to take at least one additional
addition elective course in Sociology, out of a list of 10 possible courses. Efforts are under way
in the Sociology department to introduce two new, regularly offered courses on Social
Inequalities in Health, and Race, Science & Medicine. When finalized and approved, these two
courses will be added to the list of Sociology department elective courses for the minor.
Students also are required to take at least two elective courses from more than two dozen
relevant courses offered by affiliated departments; no more than two may be selected from a
single department. Only one course for the minor is allowed to overlap with the major. To
further ensure breadth, students may take no more than two of the following three courses
focused on substance use: (Sociology 361: Sociology of Drug Use; History 322: Drugs, A Social
History; and Psych 272: Drugs and Human Behavior), and no more than two of the following
four courses focused on medical ethics (Philosophy 105/106: Current Moral and Social Issues;
Philosophy 107/108: Introduction to Ethics; Philosophy 249: Bioethics; or Religion 221: Ethical
Issues, Religious Responses). Specific course listings are presented below, along with tentative
language to describe the minor in the Rutgers course catalog.
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Appendix A. Sociology Faculty and Courses for the Health and Society Minor
Affiliated Faculty
Sharon Bzostek
Deborah Carr
Jeanette Covington
Steve Hansell
Allan Horwitz
Joanna Kempner
Catherine Lee
Julie Phillips
Sarah Rosenfield
Kristen Springer
Helene White
Required Sociology Courses
01:920:101 Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
01:920:210 Sociology of Medicine and Health Care (3 credits)
01:920:307 Sociology of Mental Illness (3 credits)
Elective Sociology Courses: A Least One Course Must be Selected from the Following
01:920:227 Population and Society (3 credits)
01:920:303 Social Gerontology (3 credits)
01:920:332 Social Inequalities (3 credits)
01:920:335 Health and Inequality (3 credits)
01:920:359 Environmental Sociology (3 credits)
01:920:361 Sociology of Drug Use (3 credits)*
01:920:410 Sociology of Alcohol Problems (3 credits)
01:920:433 Race, Science, and Medicine (3 credits)
01:920:434 Social Science and Public Policy (3 credits)
01:920:438 Sociology of Age (3 credits)
01:920:440 Sexuality and Society (3 credits)
01:920:462 Sociology of Selected Institutions (3 credits)
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Appendix B. Other SAS Courses Proposed for Health and Society Minor
At least two electives must be selected from the following course offerings. No more than two
courses can be taken from each department, to ensure breadth of study.
Africana Studies
01:014:347: Health Issues in the African-American Community (3 credits)
Anthropology
01:070:307 Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
Biology
01:119:150 Biology, Society, and Biomedical Issues (3 credits)
01:119:154 Genetics, Law, and Social Policy (3 credits)
Economics
01:220:316 Health Economics (3 credits) ***
01:220:348 Economics of Social Welfare Programs ***
Genetics
01:447:354 Social, Legal and Ethical Implications of the New Genetics (3 credits) ***
History
01:506:226 Contemporary Challenges in International Health (3 credits)
01:508:328 History of Health and Healing In Africa (3 credits)
01:508:322 Black Death to Obesity Epidemic: History of Public Health in the West (3 credits)
01:512:121 Health and Environment in America (3 credits)
01:512:225 Sexuality in America (3 credits)
01:512:321 Health Care and Society in America (3 credits)
01:512:322 Drugs: A Social History (3 credits)*
Philosophy
01:730:105 or 106 Current Moral and Social Issues (3 or 4 credits)**
01:730:107 or 108 Introduction to Ethics (3 or 4 credits)**
01:730:249 Bioethics (3 credits)**
Political Science
01:790:290 Politics and Social Policy: Lessons from Europe (3 credits)
Psychology
01:830:101 General Psychology (3 credits)
01:830:272 Drugs And Human Behavior* (3 credits)
01:830:333 Adolescent Development (3 credits)
01:830:335 Adult Development and Aging (3 credits)
01:830:340 Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
01:830:377 Health Psychology (3 credits)
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Religion
01:840:112 Death and Afterlife (3 credits)
01:840:221 Ethical Issues, Religious Responses (3 credits)**
Women’s Studies
01:988:240 Gender and Science (3 credits)
01:988:487 Language of Women’s Health and Health Policy (3 credits)
Notes:
* Students may take no more than two of the following three courses:
01:920:361 Sociology of Drug Use (3 credits)
01:512:322 Drugs: A Social History (3 credits)
01:830:272 Drugs And Human Behavior
** Students may take no more than two of the following four courses:
01:730:105 or 106 Current Moral and Social Issues (3 or 4 credits)
01:730:107 or 108 Introduction to Ethics (3 or 4 credits)
01:730:249 Bioethics (3 credits)
01:840:221 Ethical Issues, Religious Responses (3 credits)
*** denotes 1 or more pre-requisites
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Appendix C. Examples of Course Offerings and Requirements for Academic Majors,
Minors and Certificates in Health & Society at Other Universities
Brandeis University: Health, Science, Society and Policy
http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/hssp/
Cornell University: Human Biology, Health and Society
http://www.human.cornell.edu/che/DNS/academic/hbhsin.cfm
Emory University: Global Health, Culture and Society
http://www.emory.edu/CHCS/index.html
Indiana University: Health Studies
http://www.indiana.edu/~bulletin/iub/phb/2012-2013/undergraduate/minors/health-studies.shtml
University of British Columbia: Health and Society
http://heso.arts.ubc.ca/
University of Pennsylvania: Health and Societies
http://hss.sas.upenn.edu/hsoc
Vanderbilt University: Medicine, Health and Society
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/mhs/undergraduate/minor/
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Appendix D: Proposed Text for Course Catalog
The interdisciplinary minor in Health and Society consists of at least six courses, which must
include 01:920:101 Introduction to Sociology; 01:920:210 Sociology of Medicine and Health
Care; and 01: 920: 307 Sociology of Mental Illness. In addition, at least one elective must be
taken in the Sociology department, and at least two electives from other SAS departments
affiliated with the minor (see list below). No more than one course may also be counted toward
one’s major, and no more than two electives may be taken from within the same department
(except Sociology).
Courses approved for satisfaction of minor requirements include the following:
01: 014:347: Health Issues in the African-American Community (3 credits)
01: 070:307 Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
01: 119: 150 Biology, Society, and Biomedical Issues (3 credits)
01: 119: 154 Genetics, Law, and Social Policy (3 credits)
01: 220: 316 Health Economics (3 credits) ***
01: 220: 348 Economics of Social Welfare Programs ***
01: 447: 354 Social, Legal and Ethical Implications of the New Genetics (3 credits)
01: 506: 226 Contemporary Challenges in International Health (3 credits)
01: 508: 328 History of Health and Healing In Africa (3 credits)
01: 508: 322 Black Death to Obesity Epidemic: History of Public Health in the West (3 credits)
01: 512: 121 Health and Environment In America (3 credits)
01: 512: 225 Sexuality in America (3 credits)
01: 512: 321 Health Care and Society in America (3 credits)
01: 512: 322 Drugs: A Social History (3 credits)*
01: 730: 105 or 106 Current Moral and Social Issues (3 or 4 credits)**
01: 730: 107 or 108 Introduction to Ethics (3 or 4 credits)**
01: 730: 249 Bioethics (3 credits)**
01: 790: 290 Politics and Social Policy: Lessons from Europe (3 credits)
01: 830: 101 General Psychology (3 credits)
01: 830:272 Drugs And Human Behavior* (3 credits)
01: 830: 333 Adolescent Development (3 credits)
01: 830:335 Adult Development and Aging (3 credits)
01: 830:340 Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
01: 830:377 Health Psychology (3 credits)
01: 840: 112 Death and Afterlife (3 credits)
01: 840: 221 Ethical Issues, Religious Responses (3 credits)**
01: 920:227 Population and Society (3 credits)
01: 920:303 Social Gerontology (3 credits)
01: 920: 332 Social Inequalities (3 credits)
01: 920:359 Environmental Sociology (3 credits)
01: 920:361 Sociology of Drug Use (3 credits)*
01: 920:410 Sociology of Alcohol Problems (3 credits)
01: 920:434 Social Science and Public Policy (3 credits)
01: 920:438 Sociology of Age (3 credits)
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01: 920:440 Sexuality and Society (3 credits)
01:920:462 Sociology of Selected Institutions (3 credits)
01: 988: 240 Gender and Science (3 credits)
01: 988: 487 Language of Women’s Health and Health Policy (3 credits)
* Students may take no more than two of the following three courses:
01: 920:361 Sociology of Drug Use (3 credits)
01: 512: 322 Drugs: A Social History (3 credits)
01: 830:272 Drugs And Human Behavior
** Students may take no more than two of the following four courses:
01: 730: 105 or 106 Current Moral and Social Issues (3 or 4 credits)
01: 730: 107 or 108 Introduction to Ethics (3 or 4 credits)
01: 730: 249 Bioethics (3 credits)
01: 840: 221 Ethical Issues, Religious Responses (3 credits)
*** denotes 1 or more pre-requisites
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