1999-2000 Bulletin Entry for:
(file last updated: [7/6/1999 - 13:11:11])
Objectives
Health care is one of the most important issues of the late 20th century. Over the past three decades there have been dazzling advances in medical knowledge and technique, enormous changes in how medicine is practiced, and a transformation in the organization of medical care.
The organization of the medical sector has become so complex that it is beyond the ability of any one discipline to understand. This complexity is rife with controversies, contradictions, and challenges. Since many of the most critical health issues are social in nature and are played out in the legal system, social and legal perspectives are fundamental for understanding the changing place of health care in society. To organize a student's study of health issues, this interdisciplinary program offers two tracks: (1) Health, Community, and Society and (2) Law, Medicine, and Health Policy. In addition to common core courses, students may elect either track in order to fulfill program requirements.
How to Become a Program Member
Students are encouraged to take the core courses early in their program and to consult with the chair for guidance. Students may enter the program as late as their junior year, but an early start maximizes options available in the program. Students should consult with the chair of the Health, Law, and Society Program about fulfilling requirements before the beginning of the senior year.
Committee
Lyman Stookey, Chair
(Legal Studies)
Peter Conrad
(Sociology)
David Jacobson
(Anthropology)
Margie Lachman
(Psychology)
Deborah Stone
(Heller School)
Judith Tsipis
(Biology)
Requirements for the Program
Requirements for the Health, Community, and Society Track
A. Core courses: LGLS 114a (American Health Care: Law and Policy), and SOC 191a (Health, Community, and Society).
B. Departmental electives: Three courses from Health, Community, and Society electives--no more than two from a single department.
C. Completion of one of the following (approved by the chair of the program): LGLS 92b (Law, Medicine, and Health Policy Internship and Seminar); an honors thesis, in the student's department of concentration, on a topic approved by the chair of the HLS Program; or a senior essay supervised by a faculty member of the HLS Program, designated HLS 98a or b.
Requirements for the Law, Medicine, and Health Policy Track
A. Core courses: LGLS 114a (American Health Care: Law and Policy), and SOC 191a (Health, Community, and Society).
B. Topical seminar in Law, Medicine, and Health Policy.
C. Two electives in Law, Medicine, and Health Policy from two different departments. Students in this track may take LGLS 10a as an elective. Students who take several Law, Medicine, and Health Policy topical seminars may substitute all but one for electives if they also have an elective in another department.
D. Either of the following:
1. An approved internship in a Boston-area health care organization and the correlative seminar, LGLS 92b.
2. A health law or policy related senior thesis in the student's department of concentration. In addition to the departmental thesis advisor, an advisor or mentor from the Health, Law, and Society Program may be assigned.
Courses of Instruction
HLS 98a Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
HLS 98b Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
Cross-Listed Courses
Law, Medicine, and Health Policy Internship and Seminar
Core Courses
LGLS 114a American Health Care: Law and Policy
(Formerly LGLS 14a)
[ cl22 ss ]
Highlights issues of access, quality, and cost. Introduces laws and regulations that affect every aspect of American health care from planning and finance to patient treatment. Traces development of Medicare and Medicaid. Discusses malpractice, "birth of the Blues," expansion of HMOs, and influence of employer-purchased insurance on cost and delivery of health care. Portrays the important role courts, Congress, and administrative agencies play in organization and delivery of health services. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Stookey and guest lecturers
SOC 191a Health, Community, and Society
[ ss ]
An exploration into interrelationships among society, health, and disease, emphasizing the social causes and experience of illness. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad
Health, Community, and Society Electives
Doctors and Patients since 1789
HLS 98a or b
Independent Study
American Health Care: A System in Crisis
Introduction to Statistics
Autonomy and Self-determination in Critical Health Care Decisions
Environmental Law and Policy
Science on Trial
Judaism and Healing
Biomedical Ethics
Life Span Development: Adulthood and Old Age
Seminar in Health Psychology
Aging in a Changing World
Women and Madness
Sociology of Birth and Death
Aging in Society
Sociology of Body and Health
On the Caring of the Medical Care System
Sociology of Disability
Women in the Health Care System
Law, Medicine, and Health Policy Topical Seminars
Please see the appropriate sections of this Bulletin for course descriptions and special notes; consult the Course Schedule for current offerings and changes. All seminars are limited in enrollment and usually restricted to juniors and seniors, with preference given to premedical and predental students and to concentrators in the legal studies and health, law, and society programs.
The Legal Boundaries of Public and Private Life
Justice Brandeis and Progressive Jurisprudence
Law and Social Welfare: Citizen Rights and Government Responsibilities
Law, Technology, and Innovation
Autonomy and Self-determination in Critical Health Care Decisions
Environmental Law and Policy
Science on Trial
Medical Malpractice
Law, Medicine, and Health Policy Electives
AIDS in the Third World
Forensic Science: Col. Mustard, Candlestick, Billiard Room
Doctors and Patients since 1789
Law and Economics
Economic Regulation and Deregulation
American Health Care: A System in Crisis
Introduction to Statistics
Introduction to Law
Judaism and Healing
Biomedical Ethics
Topics in Ethical Theory
Technology and the Management of Public Risk
Constitutional Law
Seminar: Constitutional Law and Theory
Civil Liberties in America
Administrative Law
Life Span Development: Adulthood and Old Age
Seminar in Health Psychology
Aging in a Changing World
Women and Madness
The Sociology of Mental Illness and Health
Crisis of the Welfare State
Sociology of Birth and Death
Aging in Society
Sociology of Body and Health
On the Caring of the Medical Care System
Sociology of Disability
Women in the Health Care System