The course is divided into three interrelated sub-sections. The first one is devoted to an introduction to the sociology of Health and Illness and its major concerns. It introduces fundamental theories in the field and questions the concepts of life and death. The Second section is centered on health and gender. It deals with how the bodies of men and women were represented during the history of medicine, as well as with how they are currently constructed within medical discourse. The third section deals with New Reproductive Technologies (NRT's), and with some of the rich feminist, ethical, legal and social disputes they raise.