WMST 319: Gender, Health, and Culture in the United States

This seminar course examines issues related to gender, culture, and health in the United States from a variety of interdisciplinary (e.g., psychological, public health, sociological) perspectives. In the context of this course, “culture” is a broad term that, at times, will encompass racial and ethnic identification, geographic region, sexuality, gender identity, generational status, and more. Likewise, course content will be framed to emphasize the interplay between cultural, social, economic, environmental, and political factors associated with health, along with methodological issues in research on health status and health behaviors. Although we will cover health issues broadly, we will also apply these frameworks to understanding the roles of gender, sex, and culture in several specific health-related domains, including reproductive and sexual health, HIV/AIDS, intimate partner violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Because we only have 15 weeks (!) to address this enormous content area, some topics will not be covered in depth and some may not be covered at all (apologies in advance!). As such, the final assignment included in the course is designed to encourage students to examine (relevant) topics of interest that may not be touched upon through lecture, discussions, and readings