Sick Role and the Media Essay

Abstract

Students are often curious about the applicability of sociological theory to the “real world”. In this essay, students consider the applicability of Talcott Parsons’ sick role and Edward Suchman’s five stages of illness experience in regard to a piece of media (movies, TV, novels, short stories, documentaries, comics, etc.) of their choice. Completing...

Download this resource to see full details. Download this resource to see full details.

Details

Subject Area(s):

Medical Sociology

Resource Type(s):

Essay

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

Please see the resource for Usage Notes.

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Applying and evaluating Parsons’ sick role theory and Suchman’s five stages of illness experience.
2. Finding and utilizing outside sources to evaluate media depictions of sickness.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. In a few paragraphs, students discuss how well various components of Parsons’ and Suchman’s theories apply to their chosen piece of media. A detailed rubric is included in the assignment sheet.
2. Based on insights drawn from their chosen media and outside sources, students will propose improvements to Parsons’ and Suchman’s theories. A detailed rubric is included in the assignment sheet.