SOC-S 101: Medicine in the U.S.

Section 28702

Spring 2026

Instructor: Professor Jackson

Email: pjackson@iu.edu

Grading Assistants: Heidi Berger (hberger1@iu.edu)

Riley Osowick (rosowick@iu.edu)

Kasia Tuzzolino (ktuzzoli@iu.edu) 

(Please include S101 in the subject line. Do not send emails through Canvas)

Office Hours: By appointment

Location:

 https://iu.zoom.us/j/9844956287?pwd=VnhHUE00cVN1VWFrczc3VE1wSVM2UT09

Meeting ID: 984 495 6287

Password: 405286

Course Description

Contemporary America faces a strange medical paradox: While the profession of medicine has at its disposal the most powerful technology ever known and the most generous financial support ever provided by public and private sectors, it is severely criticized for its failure to cure society’s ills (e.g., cancer, heart disease, and mental illness) and for its unresponsiveness to people’s needs (e.g., issues of cost and access). We are in a new era of health problems and the provision of medical care. Issues dealing with health and medical care are ones with which we all have experience. They represent concerns that none of us will be able to ignore in our lives or as responsible members of society. This course explores questions on a wide range of topics dealing with providers and recipients of care, and the larger context in which they face problems of health, illness, and disease. At times, comparisons are made between the U.S. healthcare experience and other countries.

Course Objectives

• Challenge students to leave their comfort zone and explore ideas they have not been exposed to
• To read, write, and think critically about medicine, using a sociological lens
• To provide students with the skills necessary to apply perspectives learned in the classroom to their own experiences with illness and medicine

Course Requirements

Readings

Required Text:

Weiss, Gregory L. and Denise Copelton. 2023. The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness. Eleventh Edition. New York, NY: Routledge.

As stated in the course description, we will interact with many aspects of health care and the illness experience this semester. We will do so by working through the chapters of this textbook by Weiss and Copelton (2023). Each week of the course we will cover one chapter dedicated to an important aspect of medical sociology. While these readings will be supplemented by lecture videos, most of the information you will be responsible for will come from the textbook. Be sure to obtain your copy and take diligent notes as you read. Your lectures can be found in the Files tab under Lecture-VIDEO.

Course Pacing and Details:

The course is designed to have tasks completed each day in a five-day week. However, the course is asynchronous and assignments can be completed at your convenience throughout the week, as long as you meet all of the hard deadlines of the course (discussed below). While this course is asynchronous, there is still structure to the material we are going through. You want to be sure to work through each unit in order, as material builds on previous lessons and skipping through this lesson plan will lead to incomplete analysis and confusion. Following the Modules on Canvas will be helpful.

The course has three units: heath and illness in society, the illness experience and the doctor, and health care systems. For each topic you will be asked to read the background material, watch the lecture videos and follow along with the slides, and complete the weekly quizzes. Additionally, there will be a series of videos to watch and handouts to complete, related to the assigned video. These assignments will be detailed below.

Weekly Quizzes: 240 points (20 points each; ~85% of grade)

Each week you will complete a quiz on the material from each unit. Quizzes will be 20 questions
and each question will be worth one (1) point. Each quiz will count for 20 points. Collectively,
the twelve quizzes will count for 240 of the 280 points.

Quizzes will all be taken on Canvas. You will be able to access each week’s quiz through the
Quizzes tab. Quizzes can be taken at any point throughout the assigned week (starting on Monday of that week, but once you begin the quiz you will have 20 minutes to complete it. You will only have one opportunity to complete each quiz. Quizzes must be submitted by 11:59PM EST Friday for that week. After 11:59PM EST on Friday you will not be able to access the quiz.

Quizzes will be multiple choice. Quizzes will cover information from lecture, the slides (including the embedded video links), and the textbook assigned for that week. Refer to the Weekly Schedule below for each week’s materials.

Videos: 40 points (10 points each; ~15% of grade)

There are four assigned videos, with required handouts to be completed for grading. Videos and handouts will be assigned, and available, during the month of April. Completed handouts can be submitted at any time during the month of April.

Grading:

Grades will be broken down into four (4) components: reading responses, discussion posts, weekly quizzes, and a final exam. Scores are measured on a 600-point scale. The point values of each assignment are as follows:

Assignment                             Points

Weekly Quizzes (12)              240 points (20 points each)

Video Handouts (4)                  40 points (10 points each)

Total                                       280 points

Here is the grading scale, in points:

A+:      277-280                       C+ :     215-223                       F :167 or below

A :       260-276                       C :       204-214                      

A-:       252-259                       C-:       196-203                      

B+:      243-251                       D+:      187-195

B :       232-242                       D :       176-186

B-:       224-231                       D-:       168-175

Guidelines:

Make-Ups and Accommodations:

Assignment extensions are only offered in extreme extenuating circumstances (which I must receive documentation of) or religious observances (which I must receive notice of within the first week of the semester). If you cannot submit an assignment on time, you must contact me BEFORE the due date in question. No make up opportunities will be offered to students who do not follow this guideline.

If you require special accommodations for written assignments, please let me know within the first week of the semester, provide the appropriate documentation, and I will make the necessary adaptations. For further information, please see the special accommodations section below.

Academic Misconduct:

Academic misconduct is taken very seriously. Any form of misconduct, including but not exclusively, plagiarism, cheating on exams, or turning in any work that is not uniquely your own will not be tolerated in this course. Using Artificial Intelligence or AI text generators in your answers is considered academic misconduct and will be treated as such. In accordance with the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, misconduct will result in a failing grade for the course, suspension, or in some cases, expulsion. For more information, please see: http://www.dsa.indiana.edu/Code/index1.html.

Furthermore, selling notes or study guides to fellow students in this course or to commercial services violates IU intellectual property policy. Do not sell my notes.

Failing to adhere to course content sharing policies may be deemed a violation of the Indiana University Code of Student Rights Responsibilities and Conduct. Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on an assignment, a course grade reduction, a failing grade, or other options.

Bias Based Incident Reporting:

Bias-based incident reports can be made by students, faculty, and staff. Any act of discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability can be reported through any of the options:

1) email biasincident@indiana.edu or incident@indiana.edu

2) call the Dean of Students Office at (812) 855-8188

3) use the IU mobile App (m.iu.edu). Reports can be made anonymously.

Sexual Misconduct and Title IX:

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to create a positive learning environment for all students. IU policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with the IU Sexual Assault Crisis Services at 812- 855-5711 or contact a Confidential Victim Advocate at 812-856-2469 or cva@indiana.edu.

It is also important that you know that University policy requires me to share certain information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct, with the campus Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator or the University Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator. In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken, and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. I encourage you to visit stopsexualviolence.iu.edu to learn more.

Religious Observances:

It is the policy of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs that students who wish to receive an excused absence from class for religious reasons must submit a request form available at the link below for each day they will be absent. I must receive this form from you by the end of the second week of the semester. You must then turn in a separate for the specific class period you will miss. As with the attendance policy, you will still be responsible for the information covered in class that week. Further information about the policy on religious observation can be found here: http://enrollmentbulletin.indiana.edu/pages/relo.php.

Special Accommodations:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), IU seeks to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with documented disabilities. It is your responsibility to inform me and to contact the Disability Student Services Office (812-855-7578, https://studentaffairs.indiana.edu/disability-services-students/) as soon as possible about any needed accommodations. If you need individual accommodations to meet course requirements, please meet with me as soon as possible so that we can make sure you have the resources and time needed in order to perform to the best of your ability in this course. Although accommodations may be made later in the semester, you should contact DSS and me during the first two weeks of the semester in order to ensure full accommodations.

Laptops/Phones/Technologies of All Shapes and Sizes:

As previously noted, many of the materials for this class are available online. Indiana University has many resources at its disposal to make digital access available to students. Please be aware of the following opportunities:

• Free on-campus wireless internet(Wi-Fi) access through the “IU Secure” network. For more help, visit https://uits.iu.edu/.
• Free software (including Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, statistical software, etc.) for downloadand for cloud-based use. For both, visit https://iuware.iu.edu/
• Free unlimited, secure online storage through Box (a great way to back up files).
• Free 24/7 support with issues related to IU technology via https://kb.iu.edu/d/abxl (e.g., email, Canvas, Wi-Fi, printing, device setup, etc.).
• Free in-person tech support at the Learning Commons in the Wells Library and in IMU room M089 (hours).
• Laptops and tablets that students can borrow from the Learning Commons in the Wells Library.
• Discounts on devices from leading technology companies, including Apple, Dell, and Microsoft. (https://kb.iu.edu/d/antk)

Weekly Schedule (Subject to change. Updates will be announced on Canvas)

*All material should be watched, listened to, or read by the start of class on the day it is assigned. All asynchronous work should be completed by the end of the assigned week.