WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2017-2018       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
Time, Masks, Mirrors: Aging in America

SOC 313
Spring 2018
Section: 01  
Course Cluster: Health Studies

Longevity is almost universally wished for, but its actual accomplishment may also invite fear, even dread, depending on the context in which it occurs. We will study the socio-cultural meanings of aging in the US as they are informed by history (collective and personal), cultural background, social scripts, caregiving relationships, institutional support/constraint, and current conceptualizations of the life course and the "aging" mind and body that often rely heavily on categorization and vocabulary associated with biomedicine. In addition, we will explore the idea of age in relation to sustainability and disposability as it is applied to dwellings, objects, the natural environment, and even persons. Enrolled students will be introduced to qualitative methods and analysis of qualitative data through conducting a series of interviews with an elder living in the local community that focus on the relationship between place and well-being over the life course, culminating in a record that can be shared with others.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS SOC
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (SOC)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on NOV-12-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459