Health and Society courses explore the processes that shape individual and population health in their social, material and physical contexts. Disability, psychiatric disorders, ideals of well-being, and models of medical intervention vary between cultural settings and across history.

At the individual level, how and where one lives may influence mental health, the onset of diabetes, and the length of life. Health is also influenced by our relationships: marriage is associated with longer life for men; social networks carry information and generate reminders to see physicians; but networks and interaction may also generate stress and demands that degrade physical and mental health alike. These relationships form within frameworks of health care policy and systems of provision, cultural expectations and values such as the sanctity of life and calls to respect human rights, and exposure to environments that reflect endowments, economic activity, and political choices.

To understand health in its broader contexts, the minor encompasses a range of disciplines and methods, and differential emphases on theory, practice and policy implications. For those interested in medical school, the changing nature of the MCAT means that students considering application to medical school will need richer exposure to social science theory and methods. The minor further provides a background for the allied health professions, the study of law with an emphasis on health, and doctoral work in a range of social science disciplines.