Overview of major research methods: survey analysis, personal interview, participant observation, content analysis, and experimental design. Each student designs and completes a research project. Students are strongly urged to have completed SOC 599 prior to enrolling.

Health and Illness are considered as a sociocultural phenomenon. Meanings are attached to health and illness as they are influenced by our social values and our cultural beliefs, which to a large degree are influenced by available medical technologies. People's experiences of health and illness are shaped by a range of social factors (e.g., race, class, gender) and follow clear patterns of social inequality. A critical approach is taken to examine topics such as the social determinants of health, illness and healthcare; the social construction of illness; the medicalization of society; and the social organization of health care.