A new course tiled "Race, Gender at Work in U.S Health Care" is being offered by Africana Studies/ Sociology. Online with meeting times M/W 11:00 AM -12:15 PM. See course description below:
Why are Black women three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than White women? Why do many Black African and Caribbean immigrants find work in the health care field? How do African Americans fare as workers and care recipients in health care institutions? How did racial disparities manifest during the COVID 19 pandemic? What were the experiences of paraprofessional health care workers such as nursing aides, as well as skilled health care workers (doctors/nurses) at the frontlines of the pandemic? In addressing these and other questions, this course links together two major areas of sociological inquiry: the sociology of work and occupations; and the sociology of health/health care. It provides a unique and innovative opportunity to explore race and gender at work, with a focus on health care and health care institutions.
Through the reading of ethnographies (where authors immerse themselves in a setting to understand social dynamics), theoretical works, first-hand accounts, and interpretation of statistical data, we will shed light on racial and gendered inequalities as they play out in health settings. We will deal with the ways in which individuals experience health care, find meaning and rewards in health care work, as well as navigate institutional structures and constraints.
This course is open to all students interested in the topics of health and health care occupations, and racial health disparities. Of particular interest to students in the Social Sciences, Africana Studies, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, Pre-med, Nursing and other allied health sciences.
For more information, contact: Professor Fumilayo Showers at fumilayo.showers@uconn.edu