SOC1912: Body, Culture, and Society

Many of us think about our bodies from a very personal level. We wonder if our body is too thin or too heavy, whether we are too short or too tall, healthy or unhealthy, and whether or not our body is “normal” or “abnormal.” However, questions and answers regarding our bodies are often settled beyond our individual views. In this course, we will take a sociological perspective in thinking about the body. We will use our sociological imaginations to assess how notions of the body have been shaped by broader societal and cultural processes. We will draw from numerous frameworks and theories to explore the intersection of the body and several topics, including: identity, gender, media, race/ethnicity, sports, medicine, technology and public policy.

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