Degree:
B.A.
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Program Options:
Joint Concentration

Health, Culture and Societies explores the complex interaction among biological, social, and cultural realities, both present and past. The HCS joint concentration complements students’ learning experiences in any other Area of Concentration and provides a focal point for health-related futures. 

About the Health, Culture, and Societies AOC

Health, wellness, and even disease can only be fully understood, we believe, through studying the complex interaction of biological, social, and cultural realities in societies past and present. The Joint AOC in Health, Culture, and Societies (HCS) fosters an understanding of the importance of these interwoven factors to explore experience, practice, policy, medical interventions, and the uses of data and information.

HCS is radically interdisciplinary (working across disciplines), even transdisciplinary (crossing academic study, professional work, and community engagement). We support students in exploring different aspects and conceptions of health in social and cultural contexts. A concern for long standing histories of health inequities, expert and local knowledge, and contemporary disparities is central to this program. Because practical experiences and professional exploration alternate with academic study and classroom instruction, this joint-AOC is particularly appropriate for students interested in health-related careers, broadly defined. Students in the program may come to health from a humanistic (i.e., artistic, literary, historical, philosophical, or ethical), a social scientific (i.e., anthropological, psychological, social, economic, or political), and/or a natural scientific (i.e., biological, biochemical, physiological, or epidemiologic) perspective.

Recent Courses

  • Health, Culture, and Societies: Interdisciplinary Explorations
  • Social Epidemiology
  • Health Education
  • A History of Biomedicine
  • Neuroethics
  • Animal Minds and Ethics
  • The Black Death
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Dealing with Data I
  • Dancing with Parkinsons
  • Epidemiology Matters
  • Global Health
  • Epidemiology II
  • Tropical Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Career Pathways

  • Medicine
  • Nursing
  • Public Health
  • Medical/Science Research
  • Health Arts
  • Behavioral Health
  • Data Analytics
  • Health Advocacy
  • Policy Analysis
  • Health Information and Communication
  • Health Informatics
  • Disabilities/ADA Law and Policy
  • Public/Health Administration
  • Medical Librarian
  • Medical Illustrator
  • Social Worker

Pre-Health Program

In an effort to share valuable resources and create strong connections between students, the pre-health program is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare or medicine including Pre-Med, Pre-Vet, Pre-Dental, and Pre-Pharmaceutical. Pre-Health Professional Program

Contact Us

Dr. Kristopher Fennie

Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Co-Director of Health Cultures and Societies
Image of Dr. Kristopher Fennie
Contact
Email Address
Location
Office
Heiser 123B
Mail
Heiser E172C
Office or Division
Area of Concentration

Health, Culture & Societies Faculty