In this course we will explore the relationship between poverty and human biology, with the goal of understanding how poverty influences aspects of health and disease. Topics will include how understandings of the causes and effects of poverty have shifted over time, including in the field of anthropology. We will also discuss how factors such as nutrition, air quality, noise and light pollution, residential segregation, and differential access to health care influence individual health outcomes. By the end of the course, students will gain an understanding of the biological mechanisms by which exposure to these factors can affect individual health, including allostatic load and epigenetic modifications. Students will use a problem-based approach to identify potential policy approaches to change the conditions that create and reinforce socioeconomic inequities.

Intended Audience:

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Class Format:

Learning Mode: As a DC (Distance due to COVID) course, all aspects of this course will be fully compatible with remote online learning. This course will be taught in seminar format, and class meetings will not be recorded. Students should plan to participate synchronously. We will work with students to make accommodations in case of illness or other circumstances affecting participation.

Course Testing/Assessment: Assignments will be asynchronous. Writing assignments will be submitted asynchronously via Canvas, and final group presentations will be conducted synchronously at the end of the semester.