This course provides an introduction to the sociology of health and illness. The main objective of this course, divided equally into lectures and seminars, is to equip students with basic conceptual and heuristic tools to carry out a critical and theoretically informed scrutiny of health and health care, focusing on the key actors, processes, and structural context of health and health care in contemporary societies. The course will provide students with an overview of key scholars in the field, review main theoretical concepts, and outline the links between health and social theory. More specifically, during lectures and seminars, the following areas will be discussed: the political economy of health care, digital technologies and health, health care professions, doctor-patient relationships, as well as health social movements. Moreover, attention will be given to health inequalities, palliative and end-of-life care, mental health and illness, antibiotic resistance, vaccine hesitancy and artificial intelligence.
Last update: Numerato Dino, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (08.09.2026)
