300667 Sociology of health and illness (S) (SoSe 2024)

This seminar analyzes and criticizes the complex relationships between social factors and health and illness. We will discuss major topics in the field of sociology of health and illness within political, economic, and cultural context. Example topics are definitions of health, factors influence death, disease and illness, the social construction of health and illness, the "sick role", and medicalization, as well as current dilemmas from the field of reproductive genetics, egg frizzing and posthumous reproduction. We will try whenever possible to place issues in a global context, but we will focus mainly on views from Germany and Israel. Students are welcome to explore these topics in their seminar presentation. In preparation for the seminar presentation, we will also discuss various methodological and ethical challenges in conducting interviews.