Social Science Perspectives in Reproductive Health

This course will focus on social science perspectives of reproductive health in the U.S. across women’s lives from puberty to post-menopause, highlighting relevant reproductive policies throughout. We will cover topics such as puberty, sexuality, sexually transmitted infections, contraception, abortion, intimate partner violence, pregnancy/childbirth, infertility, and hormone replacement therapy. The approach is interdisciplinary drawing on demography, sociology, medicine, psychology, public health and health policy. We will discuss social science research at the level of the individual as well as the population, and focus on how the research is (or is not) used in policy or for public interest.

Taught by: Professor Julia Steinberg, UCSF

Course Syllabus