This course is an introduction to social-scientific research through the concept of “wellness.” We will explore the meaning and many dimensions of wellness, past and present. For example, wellness today is understood to include emotional, spiritual, social, and even financial elements, in addition to physical health. We will also carefully study claims made about wellness, from popular culture (think social media, television, “fitspiration” blogs) to varieties of clinical practice (think dietitians or therapists) and to the sciences (think medicine, public health, psychology, sociology). Our focus will range from the individual to the social and systemic.

The contemporary coronavirus pandemic will serve as an important theme in this course. It helps us raise many macrosocial questions (about epidemiology, public health policies, distributional inequities). It helps us raise microsocial questions (about compliance, motivation, coping). It helps us explore social-scientific tools and methods (such as modeling, statistics, narratives).

This course will satisfy the First-Year Writing Requirement. Short readings will range from popular media to scientific articles. Writing assignments will involve writing about the same information in different styles, revising previous work, and experimenting with some “new media” such as podcasts or videos. Individual students get to pursue projects close to their own interests, but the course will also involve significant collaborative work.

Intended Audience:

First- and second-year students in LSA Honors Program

Class Format:

This course will be fully asynchronous, to accommodate students in different time zones or with other time commitments. Optional one-on-one and group office hours will be offered synchronously, with efforts to accommodate student availability. Students may also arrange synchronous meetings for group work if they choose.