Sociology of Mental Health and Illness

This course applies a sociological lens to the study of mental health and illness, providing an overview of three broad areas of sociological research on mental health: definitions and measurement; social origins; and societal responses. The primary goal is to understand mental health and illness as a result of social circumstances - moving away from individual-level explanations to consider how the definitions, causes, and consequences of mental illness are structured by interpersonal, institutional, and cultural factors.