This course will introduce students to the sociological study and understanding of health and illness, focusing predominantly on Australian society. The course will examine the causes, nature and consequences of major health inequalities, the ways they are culturally understood, and some of the most important attempts to address them. Substantive topics may be drawn from a range of areas including the social distribution of health and illness; health promotion and illness prevention; access to health care; the state and health care system; the division of labour in the health workforce; ideologies of health, illness and inequality; and health, politics and social change.