HSOC Concentrations

The Bioethics and Society concentration explores the philosophical, historical, and moral dimensions of critical issues in healthcare. Bioethics as an interdisciplinary field enables students to explore, understand, and determine the implications and consequences of medical science, research, and practice in the clinic and in public health. Students interested in practicing medicine are encouraged to consider this concentration as it provides a firm theoretical foundation for tackling many of the difficult issues facing healthcare providers and medical researchers today.  

Concentration Rules

  • Core courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 
  • Courses not used for the core course may be used as topical electives where suitable
  • Students in this concentration may not minor in Bioethics
     

Core Disciplines (1 cu required; no petitions)

(Course attribute code: AHSB)

ANTH 3052: An Anthropological Approach to Bioethics
STSC 0100: Emergence of Modern Science (HSOC 0100)
HSOC 0400: Medicine in History (HIST 0876)
STSC 0600: Technology and Society (HSOC 0600)
STSC 1120: Science, Technology and War 
 

Core Bioethics Courses (1 cu required; no petitions)

(Course attribute code: AHSI)

BIOE 4010: Introduction to Bioethics*
HSOC 1330: Bioethics (SOCI 2971)
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
PHIL 1342: Bioethics
 

Philosophical and Religious Foundations (1 cu)

(Course attribute code: AHSP)

BIOE 4020: Foundatons of Bioethics*
NURS 3300: Theorethical Foundations of Health Care Ethics*
PHIL 1330: Ethics
PHIL 1342: Bioethics 
RELS 2390: Death, Disease and Demons in the Medieval World
STSC 2080: Science and Religion
STSC 3247: Why Not Magic? Magic, Esoterica, and the Occult in the History of Science
 

Social and Institutional Contexts (1 cu)

(Course attribute code: AHSS)

AFRC 2545: Sex, Love, and Race in African American Life and History
ANTH 1238: Intro to Medical Anthropology
ENGL 0070: Literature and Medicine (formerly ENGL 085)
ENGL 2530: Literature of Care
ENVS 1625: Community-Based Env. Health
GSWS 122: Sociology of Gender
GSWS 1101: Sociology of Gender
GSWS 2100: Trauma Porn to Title IX: Gender Based Violence at Penn
GSWS 3136: Queer Science
GSWS 3448: The Future of Disability and the Afterlives of Epidemics (HSOC 3447)
HSOC 1401: The People's Health
HSOC 2401: Social Determinants of Health
HSOC 2537: Gender and Health (GSWS 2537)
HSOC 3028: Normal People (STSC 3028)
HSOC 3120: Health in Philly, Past and Present
HSOC 3185: Global Radiation History: Living in the Atomic Age 1945 - Present (STSC 3185)
HSOC 3528: Public Health and Violence
HSOC 4242: The History and Future of Genetic Medicine (STSC 4242)
LGST 1010: Law and Social Values*
NURS 3150: Sociocultural Influences on Health*
NURS 3240: U.S. Child Health*
SOCI 0002: Social Inequality and Health (FY sem)
SOCI 2430: Race, Science and Justice (AFRC 2430)
SOCI 2450: Poverty, Race and Health
SOCI 2460: Social Inequality and Health
 

Technologies, Practices and Practitioners (1 cu)

(Course attribute code: AHST)

ANTH 2060: Cultures of Science and Technology
ANTH 2332: Medicine and the Language of Pain
BIOE 5550: Bioethics and Technology*
ENVS 1615/1635/1645: Urban Environments courses
HCMG 2030: Clinical Issues in Health Care Management*
HSOC 2254: American Medicine and Technology in War and Peace
HSOC 2293: From Madness to Mental Health: The History of Psychiatry 
HSOC 2523: Technology and Medicine in America
HSOC 2526: Complementary and Alternative Medicine
HSOC 3313: Reproductive Medicine
STSC 1600: Information Age
STSC 2421: Manufacturing Minds: From Babbage to ChatGPT
STSC 2707: Data and Death
STSC 3657: Technology and Democracy
 

Law, Politics and Public Policy (1 cu)

(Course attribute code: AHSL)

AFRC 1123: Law and Society
BIOE 5750: Health Policy*
GSWS 1490: Law and Social Policy on Sex and Reproduction
HCMG 1010: Health Care Systems*
HCMG 2500: Health Care Reform and the Future of the American Health Care System
HSOC 1411: American Health Policy
HSOC 3528: Public Health and Violence
LGST 1000: Ethics and Social Responsibility*
PHIL 2450: Justice, Law and Morality
PSCI 1173: Comparative Health Politics
PSCI 0101: Comparative Politics of Developing Areas
PUBH 5070: Public Health Law and Ethics*
SOCI 0004: The Law in our Lives
SOCI 1120: Law and Society
SOCI 2240: Law and Social Change (AFRC 2240)
SOCI 2420: Social Problems and Public Policy

The Disease and Culture concentration enables students strongly interested in the medical humanities or social sciences to pursue their interests to the fullest. Not all knowledge about the body, health, disease, and illness is scientific--there are numerous ways of knowing. The Disease and Culture concentration invites students with a desire to explore religious, literary, art and design, and multi-cultural perspectives and experiences with healthcare. Students with a strong interest in medical anthropology or sociology will also find room in this concentration to learn, grow, and challenge themselves to see the world through different lenses.
 

Concentration Rules

  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 
     

Concentration electives (Select 6 of these and/or petitioned equivalents)

(Course attribute code: AHSD)

AFRC 1202: Spirit Possession in the Caribbean
ANTH 1238: Intro to Medical Anthropology
ANTH 2440: Disease and Human Evolution
ANTH 2060: Cultures of Science and Technology
ANTH 2332: Medicine and the Language of Pain
ANTH 3052: An Anthropological Approach to Bioethics
ANTH 3215: Archeology of Animals
BIOL 2510: Statisics for Biologists
BIOL 4430: Evolution and Ecology of Infectious Diseases
CLST 3505: Greek and Roman Medicine
ENGL 0070: Literature and Medicine
ENGL 2530: Literature and Medicine
ENGL 3423: Planet on the Brink: Climate and Environment Journalism
ENVS 1625: Community Based Environmental Health
GRMN 1010: Freud
GSWS 3448: The Future of Disability and the Afterlives of Epidemics (HSOC 3447)
HIST 1365: Bacteria, Bodies, and Empires: Medicine and Healing in the Eastern Mediterranean (HSOC 1362)
HSOC 1120: Science Technology & War (STSC 1120)
HSOC 1312: Mental Illness (SOCI 1111)
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
HSOC 2303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
HSOC 2304: Insect Epidemiology: Pests, Pollinators, and Disease Vectors (STSC 2304)
HSOC 2401: Social Determinants of Health
HSOC 2421: Manufacturing Minds: From Babbage to ChatGPT (STSC 2421)
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
HSOC 3028: Normal People (STSC 3028)
HSOC 3327: Birth Culture and Medical Technology
NURS 3130: Obesity and Society*
NURS 3150: Sociocultural Influences on Health*
NURS 3430: Topics Course (check with HSOC advisor)*
RELS 2390: Death, Disease and Demons in the Medieval World
SOCI 0006: Anxious Times: Social Change and Fear 
SOCI 2220: Health of Populations (HSOC 2202)
SOCI 2450: Poverty, Race and Health
SOCI 2460: Media, Culture, and Society in Contemporary China
STAT 1110: Introductory Statistics
STSC 2018: Science in the Public
STSC 2080: Science and Religion
STSC 3247: Why Not Magic? Magic, Esoterica, and the Occult in the History of Science
URBS 2450: Poverty, Race and Health

ONE of these may be used in the concentration:

ENVS 1615/1635/1645

 

 

It's impossible to be a citizen of the 21st century without recognizing the degree to which we are all a part of a global society, connected by resources, technology, economics, history, politics, climate, and perhaps above all, health and disease. The Global Health concentration helps students dig deeper into the ongoing legacies, implications, and consequences of major forces from modern history: colonization/decolonization, industrialization, global capitalism, and the intersections of Western and Indigenous approaches to the body, health, and illness around the world, helping students to become well-versed and informed global citizens.
 

Concentration Rules

  • Core courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 
  • Courses not used for the core course may be used as topical electives where suitable
     

World Health Core Course (1 cu required - No petitions)

(Course attribute code: AHSW)

ANTH 2730: Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives (HSOC 2382)
HSOC 3488: Current Issues in Global Health
PUBH 5190: Introduction to Global Health*
HSOC 0490: Comparative Medicine (if not used as the pre-requisite core course for the major)
 

Regional Requirement (1 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHSR)

HSOC majors are required to take ONE course about a region of the world that is not the United States.

These courses have been used in the past, but new courses suitable for the regional requirement appear each term. Students may look beyond this list for similar courses and consult with the HSOC Director or Associate Director about potential choices.

AFRC 0002: Introduction to Africa
AFRC 3110: History of Health and Healing in Africa
EALC 3522: Medicine and Healing in China
HIST 0450: Latin America, 1791-Present (LALS 0450)
HIST 0350: Africa since 1800
HIST 0360: History of the Middle East since 1800 (NELC 0650) 
LALS 3800: Studies in Modern and Contemporary Latin American and Latinx Culture
NELC 0002: Introduction to the Middle East 
REES 1670: Population and Public Health in Eastern Europe
SAST 0001: Introduction to Modern India
SAST 0008: India: Culture and Society (HIST 0851, RELS 0008)
SOCI 2630: Contemporary Issues in African Society
SOCI 2640: Media, Culture and Society in Contemporary China
SPAN 3800: Special Topics (Check with HSOC advisor)
STSC 3334: Hybrid Science: Nature, Culture and Health in Latin America

 

Topical Electives (4 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHSG)

ANTH 0120: Globalization and its Hisorical Significance (SOCI 2910)
ANTH 1238: Intro to Medical Anthropology
ANTH 2060: Cultures of Science and Technology
ANTH 2080: Anthropology of Futurity (DSGN 3120)
ANTH 2340: Pharmaceticals and Global Health
ANTH 2978: Just Futures Seminar II: Health and Healing in Abiayala (LALS 2978, GSWS 2978, HSOC 2332)
ANTH 3402: Applied Research Skills in Global Community Health
GSWS 1361: Sex Matters: Politics of Sex in the Modern Middle East
HCMG 2040: Comparative Health Care Systems*
HIST 1365: Bacteria, Bodies, and Empires: Medicine and Healing in the Eastern Mediterranean (HSOC 1362)
HSOC 0361: Medical Missionaries
HSOC 1330: Bioethics
HSOC 1401: The People's Health
HSOC 2211: Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Science in South Asia
HSOC 2303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
HSOC 2304: Insect Epidemiology: Pest, Pollinators, and Disease Vectors (STSC 2304)
HSOC 2511: Foundations of Public Health
HSOC 2563: Doing Good
HSOC 2583: Law and Medicine: Global Themes
HSOC 2526: Complementary and Alternative Medicine
HSOC 3185: Global Radiation History: Living in the Atomic Age 1945 - Present (STSC 3185)
HSOC 3524: Medical Mestizaje: Health and Development in Contemporary Latin America (LALS 3524)
HSOC 3803: Bodies and Borders: Health, Place and Displacement
NURS 3160: International Nutrition: Political Economy of World Hunger*
NURS 3430: Topics Course (check with HSOC advisor)*
PSCI 1173: Health Policy and Politics in Comparative Perspective
PSCI 4170: Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
PUBH 5190: Foundations of Global Health
SOCI 1040: Population and Society
SOCI 2220: Health of Populations (HSOC 2202)
SOCI 2600: Global Health
SOCI 2910: Globalization and its Historical Significance
SOCI 2971: Bioethics
STSC 2198: Race and Gender in Global Science

One of these may be used as an elective for Global Health:

BIOL 2510: Statistics for Biologists 
STAT 1110: Intro Stat

Healthcare is one of the largest sectors of in the U.S. economy and a major player in the global landscape of 21st century science, technology, industry, and business. The Healthcare Markets and Finance concentration allows students to dive into the relationships between economics, politics, society, and healthcare. Students who want to work on the finance and business side of healthcare, from health administration and consulting to insurance to biotech and pharmaceuticals, are invited to explore this concentration. With an opportunity to take at least three courses with professors in Wharton's Business School and the Perelman School of Medicine, students in this concentration are able to bring their training in the social sciences and humanities into conversation with these more applied fields. 

 

Concentration Rules

  • Core courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned as concentration electives
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 
  • Courses not used for the core course may be used as topical electives where suitable
     

Core course  (1 cu required - No petitions accepted)

(Course attribute code: AHFC)

HCMG 1010: Health Care Systems*
HCMG 2020: Economics and Financing of Healthcare Delivery (ECON 0630)
HCMG 2040: Comparative Health Care Systems*
 

Topical Electives  (5 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHFI)

AFRC 1123: Law and Society
ANTH 1238: Intro to Medical Anthropology
ANTH 2060: Cultures of Science and Technology
ANTH 2340: Pharmaceuticals and Global Health
ANTH 2730: Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives (HSOC 2382)
ANTH 3470: Anthropology of Corporations
BEPP 2010: Public Finance and Policy*
BIOE 5750: Healthcare Reform and the Future of the American Healthcare System (HCMG 2500)*
ENGL 0070: Literature and Medicine (formerly ENGL 107)
HCMG 2030: Clinical Issues in Health Care Management*
HCMG 2120: Health Care Quality and Outcomes*
HCMG 2130: Health Care Strategy and Management: the Business of Healthcare*
HCMG 2150: Management and Economics of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries*
HCMG 2160: Health Insurance and the Industrial Organization of Health Care*
HIST 1161: American Capitalism
HIST 1740: Capitalism and Socialism in Crisis in the Americas
HIST 2704: Thinking about Capitalism
HIST 3201: Capitalism and Charity: The Long, Complicated Connection
HIST 3701: Capitalism and Humanitarianism
HSOC 1411: American Health Policy
HSOC 2401: Social Determinants of Health
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
HSOC 2523: Technology and Medicine in Modern America
LGST 1000: Ethics and Social Responsibility*
LGST 1010: Law and Social Values*
NURS 3240: U.S. Child Health*
PSCI 1173: Comparative Health Politics
PSCI 4170: Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
SOCI 1120: Law and Society (AFRC 1123)
SOCI 2240: Law and Social Change
SOCI 2450: Poverty, Race and Health
SOCI 2460: Social Inequality and Health
STSC 2018: Science in the Public
STSC 2707: Data and Death
STSC 3657: Technology and Democracy
URBS 2450: Poverty, Race and Health
URBS 2850: Health on the Urban Margins: The Experience of Health in American Cities


ONE of these may be used as a concentration elective:

BIOL 2510: Statistics for Biologists 
STAT 1110: Intro Stat 

ONE of these may be used as HMF concentration electives:

BIOE 4010: Introduction to Bioethics*
HSOC 1330: Bioethics  (SOCI 2971)
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
NURS 3300: Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics*
PHIL 1342: Biomedical Ethics 

NOTE: ECON 0100 and ECON 0200 may not count for this concentration.

The Health Policy and Law concentration invites students who are considering a career in government, policy, research, or law to explore the economic, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of healthcare. Through courses in Wharton, the Perelman School of Medicine, and Penn Law, among others, students in this concentration explore the historical and legal landscape of healthcare to better understand how policy affects the practice, structure, logistics, and delivery of healthcare today. 

Concentration Rules

  • "Health Policy Core" courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted.
     

Political Economy (1 CU required)

(Course attribute code: AHSO)

The study of the role of public policy and politics in influencing a country's economy and social welfare.

BEPP 2010: Public Finance and Policy*
BIOE 5750: Healthcare Reform and the Future of the American Healthcare System (HCMG 2500)*
HCMG 2020: The Economics and Financing of Healthcare Delivery (ECON 0630)
HCMG 2040: Comparative Health Care Systems*
HIST 1731: Financial Meltdowns, Past and Present
HIST 1161: American Capitalism
HIST 1740: Capitalism and Socialism in Crisis in the Americas (LALS 1740)
HIST 3701: Capitalism and Humanitarianism
PSCI 4170: Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
 

Health Policy Core (1 CU required)

(Course attribute code: AHSC)

BIOE 5710: Global Health Policy: Justice, Governance and Reform*>
HSOC 1411: American Health Policy
HSOC 2511: Foundations of Public Health
PSCI 1173: Comparative Health Politics
 

Law and Society (1 CU required)

(Course attribute code: AHSA)

ENVS 1625: Community Based Environmental Health
HIST 1119: History of American Law to 1877 (AFRC 1119)
HIST 1169: History of American Law Since 1877 (AFRC 1169)
LGST 1010: Law and Social Values*
NURS 3310: Forensic Mental Health*
RELS 1271: Israel: Law, Religion and State (JWST 1272)
SOCI 1120: Law and Society (AFRC 1123)
SOCI 2240: Law and Social Change (AFRC 2240)
SOCI 2420: Social Problems and Public Policy
 

Philosophical/Ethical (1 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHSH)

BIOE 4010: Introduction to Bioethics*
HSOC 1330: Bioethics (SOCI 2971)
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
LGST 1000: Ethics and Social Responsibility*
NURS 3300: Theoretical Foundations of Health Care Ethics*
PUBH 5070: Public Health Law and Ethics*
PHIL 1342: Bioethics
 

Topical Electives (2 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHSE)

Courses not used from above categories may be used here as well.

ANTH 2730: Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives (HSOC 2382)
HSOC 1401: The People's Health
HSOC 2537: Gender and Health
HSOC 2303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
HSOC 2401: Social Determinants of Health
HSOC 3528: Public Health and Violence
HCMG 1010: Health Care Systems*
HCMG 2040: Comparative Health Care Systems*
NURS 3240: US Child Health*
URBS 2010: Urban Health Systems
URBS 2850: Health on the Urban Margins: The Experience of Health in American Cities

TWO of these courses may be used as topical electives:

ENVS 1615: Urb Env: Lead In W Phila
ENVS 1625: Comm Based Envir Health
ENVS 1635: Prevention Of Tobacco
ENVS 1645: Urban Asthma Epidemic

ONE of these may be used as an elective:

BIOL 2510: Statistics for Biologists
STAT 1110: Intro Stat

NOTE: ECON 0100/ECON 0200 cannot count for this concentration.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a major historical event, it seems impossible to ignore the importance of public health on our lives in the past, present, and the future. Students who are interested in going into public health practice, policy, community health, and non-profit work, or who want to pursue clinical practice that is informed by a deep understanding of the social determinants of health, are invited to explore this concentration. At Penn, students who are interested in a career in public health have a unique opportunity to submatriculate into the MPH program in Perelman Medical School where you can fast-track your master's by earning credits towards your graduate degree while you are still finishing your BA. Students interested in this process should reach out to Moriah Hall for more information.
 

Concentration Rules

  • Core courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 
  • Courses not used for the core course may be used as topical electives where suitable
     

Core Course (1 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHPH)

HSOC 1401: The People's Health
HSOC 1411: American Health Policy
HSOC 2511: Foundations of Public Health
PUBH 5000: Public Health*
PUBH 5040: Public Health Theories and Frameworks*
URBS 2010: Urban Health Systems
 

Topical Elective Courses (5 cu)

(Course attribute code: AHPE)

ANTH 2730: Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives (HSOC 2382)
ANTH 2332: Medicine and the Language of Pain
ANTH 2590: Nutritional Anthropology
BIOE 5750: Healthcare Reform and the Future of American Healthcare System (HCMG 2500)*
HCMG 1010: Health Care Systems*
HCMG 2040: Comparative Heathcare Systems*
HSOC 1330: Bioethics
HSOC 2202: Health of Populations (SOCI 2220)
HSOC 2433: Sustainability and Public Health
HSOC 2537: Gender and Health
HSOC 2303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
HSOC 2304: Insect Epidemiology: Pests, Pollinators, and Disease and Vectors (STSC 2304)
HSOC 2526: Complementary and Alternative Medicine
HSOC 2401: Social Determinants of Health
HSOC 2514: Environments and Public Health
HSOC 3210: Health in Philly, Past and Present
HSOC 3313: Reproductive Medicine
HSOC 3488: Current Issues in Global Health
HSOC 3524: Medical Mestizaje: Health and Development in Contemporary Latin America (LALS 3524)
HSOC 3528: Public Health and Violence
HSOC 3803: Bodies and Borders: Health, Place and Displacement
NURS 3130: Obesity and Society*
NURS 3240: U.S. Child Health 1800-2000*
NURS 3330: Theoretical Foundations of Healthcare Ethics 
PSCI 1173: Comparative Health Politics
PSCI 4170: Comparative Politics of the Welfare State
SOCI 0002: Social inequality and health
SOCI 1040: Population and Society
SOCI 1111: Mental Illness (HSOC 1312)
SOCI 2420: Social Problems and Public Policy
SOCI 2450: Poverty, Race and Health (URBS 2450)
SOCI 2460: Social Inequality and Health 
SOCI 2917: Bioethics
STSC 1880: Environment and Society
URBS 2850: Health on the Urban Margins: The Experience of Health in American Cities
URBS 2900: Metropolitan Nature

TWO of these courses may be used for the concentration:

ENVS 1615: Urb Env: Lead In W Phila
ENVS 1625: Comm Based Envir Health         
ENVS 1635: Prevention Of Tobacco
ENVS 1645: Urban Asthma Epidemic

ONE of these may be used as an elective:

BIOL 2510: Statistics for Biologists
STAT 1110: Intro Stat

Inequality and discrimination in healthcare and the policies, institutions, systems, and ideologies that perpetuate them, are the main focus of the the Race, Gender and Health concentration. Frustrated by the persistence of scientific racism in the American healthcare system? Worried about the future of maternal and child healthcare? Tired of the ways limiting ideas about gender continue to negatively impact healthcare research, technologies, treatments, and clinical care? Want to learn more about gender-affirming care? Care deeply about disability rights? Want to dive into some of the most pressing social issues in medicine today? Then this is the concentration for you.
 

Concentration Rules

  • Core courses may not be replaced by a petitioned course
  • Relevant courses may be petitioned
  • Up to three non-College courses* are permitted 


Electives (6 cu required)

(Course attribute code: AHSN)

AFRC 1201: Divinities, Diviners and Divinations
AFRC 2545: Sex, Love, and Race in African American Life and History
ANTH 1220: Becoming Human
ANTH 1238: Intro to Medical Anthropology
ANTH 2060: Cultures of Science and Technology
ANTH 2080: Anthropolgy of Futurity (DSGN 3120)
ANTH 2978: Just Futures Seminar II: Health and Healing in Abiayala (LALS 2978, GSWS 2978, HSOC 2332)
COMM 3730: Black Geographies: Race, Risk and Visual Cultures
GSWS 0002: Gender and Society (ENGL 0159)
GSWS 115: Before Transgender
GSWS 1361: Sex Matters: Politics of Sex in the Modern Middle East
GSWS 1490: Law and Social Policy on Sexuality and Reproduction
GSWS 2100: Trauma Porn to Title IX: Gender based Violence at Penn
GSWS 2320: Queer Life in U.S. History
GSWS 2700: Folklore and Sexuality
GSWS 3448: The Future of Disability and the Afterlives of Epidemics (HSOC 3447)
GSWS 5180: Nursing and Gendering of Health Care
HSOC 2457: History of Bioethics
HSOC 2537: Gender and Health (GSWS 2537)
HSOC 3120: Health in Philly, Past and Present
HSOC 3327: Birth Culture and Medical Technology
HSOC 3889: Trans Method (GSWS 3500, STSC 3899)
HSOC 4528: Race and Medicine 
HIST 1122: Sinners, Sex and Slaves
HIST 1172: Bodies, Race and Rights
HIST 1173: History of Sexuality in the U.S.
HIST 1365: Bacteria, Bodies, and Empires: Medicine and Healing in Eastern Mediterranean (HSOC 1362)
NURS 3430: Topics Course (check with HSOC advisor)*
PHIL 2510: Philosophy of Race
SOCI 0003: Sociology of Race
SOCI 1060: Race and Ethnic Relations (ASAM 1510, LALS 1060, URBS 1060)
SOCI 1100: Sociology of Gender (GSWS 1101)
SOCI 2450: Poverty, Race and Health
SOCI 2430: Race, Science and Justice (AFRC 2430)
STSC 2097: Race and Gender in Global Science
STSC 2198: Race, Science and Globalization 
STSC 3136: Queer Science (GSWS 3136)
STSC 3334: Hybrid Science: Nature, Health and Society
URBS 2850: Health on the Urban Margins: The Experience of Health in American Cities

ONE of these may be used in the concentration:

ENVS 1615: Urb Env: Lead In W Phila
ENVS 1625: Comm Based Envir Health         
ENVS 1635: Prevention Of Tobacco
ENVS 1645: Urban Asthma Epidemic

ONE of these may be used as an elective:

BIOL 2510: Statistics for Biologists
STAT 1110: Intro Stat 

NOTE: ECON 0100/ECON 0200 cannot count for this concentration.

What is a concentration within HSOC?

A concentration is a block of six (6) courses about a topic within the broad discipline of Health & Societies.  A concentration provides each student with the opportunity to become expert within a particular area of interest. Students curate these six courses from (1) lists of pre-approved courses and (2) by petitioning relevant courses that they find across the university. 

NOTE: Disease and Society terminates as a concentration in May 2020; it closed to new majors in 2019. 

Rules about what can and cannot be in your concentration

  • Pre-approved courses:  A list of pre-approved courses is provided for each concentration.  These are not required courses; they are meant to inspire, not require. They provide examples of possible ways the concentration can be crafted toward student interests and goals. Courses that have been pre-approved for a concentration can also be found in Path@Penn by searching for the appropriate "Course attribute." For example, you can select "HSOC Public Health Elective (AHPE)" from the drop-down menu in Path at Penn's course search to see a listing of each pre-approved course available for the semester. 
  • Core Courses: if your concentration has a core course requirement, this should be completed as soon as possible. Core courses are listed under each concentration on our website. You can also find core courses using the "Course attribute" search bar in Path@Penn. For example, the HSOC public health core attribute is "HSOC Public Health Core (AHPI)."
  • Non-College courses: Students may include up to and no more than three (3) non-College courses in the concentration, including core courses.
  • Petitioning Courses: Students may petition any course not on the pre-approved list to count for the concentration (see the petition form below). 
  • Study Abroad: up to two (2) relevant courses may be used in the concentration. In the case of the IHP study abroad program, students may transfer up to three (3) courses. Please discuss your study abroad plans with the HSOC Undergraduate Chair.
     

How to Petition Courses for the Concentration

By petitioning, students can add courses not on the pre-approved lists to their concentrations. When petitioning, students make the case that a course advances, substantively (in terms of relevant content) and substantially (in terms of time spent on relevant content), a coherent, purposeful intellectual trajectory. That is, a petition explains how a petitioned course contributes insight to the concentration's core questions, issues, challenges, etc. in ways that complement and enhance the work of their other concentration courses.

Students should submit petitions as promptly as possible after the drop deadline of the semester in which they are taking the course. Do not submit petitions for courses you have not yet taken. Also, do not submit petitions before the drop deadline of the semester in which you are taking the course*.

Submit a petition online.

*The exception to this rule is for seniors going into their senior spring. If you are a senior and you need to petition a course for spring semester, you will need to submit your petition before the end of add period. Please reach out to the HSOC Undergraduate Chair or Associate Director to discuss your plans.