Health, Illness, and Society, Updated Second Edition provides a comprehensive yet concise introduction to medical sociology. In his accessible style, Steven Barkan covers health and illness behaviors, the social determinants of illness, the health professions and health care system in the U.S., and how the U.S. system compares to that of other countries. The book also critically examines the achievements and limitations of the Affordable Care Act and other recent health care reform efforts. Each chapter opens with learning questions to guide the student and "Health and Illness in the News" cases that apply each chapter's contents to contemporary events. Chapter summaries reinforce key ideas and "Give it Some Thought" boxes emphasize critical thinking.
Steven E. Barkan is professor of sociology at the University of Maine. He is an award-winning textbook author and author of Criminology: A Sociological Understanding, 6/E (Prentice Hall), Law and Society: An Introduction (Pearson), Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World (Flat World Knowledge), and Social Problems: Continuity and Change (Flat World Knowledge).
1. Sociology and the Study of Health and Illness 2. A Social History of Health and Illness 3. Health Behavior 4. Illness Behavior and the Illness Experience 5. Social Causes of Health and Health Problems 6. Global Disparities in Health and Disease 7. Medical School and the Training of Physicians 8. Physicians and Their Interaction with Patients 9. Other Health Care Providers: Conventional and Alternative 10. Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings 11. Health and Health Care in the World's Wealthy Democracies 12. The U.S. Health Care System 13. Health Care Reform: Obamacare and Beyond ***14. COVID-19 and Public Health
A new comprehensive chapter of the COVID-19 Pandemic is included and applied to each chapter in the book, covering major themes and points. It's easy for students to see the connection. -- Jenifer Kunz, Professor, West Texas A&M University Chapter 14, "The COVID-19 Pandemic," is a valuable addition to the text. It is an informative examination of the sociology of infectious disease and excellent analysis of health disparities. The chapter links many concepts presented in the text with a real-world situation all can relate to. -- Robert J. Behling, University of St. Francis
