Basic Information

  • Course Code: HS472
  • Course Name: Psychology of Health
  • Course Offered In: Spring
  • Instructors: Prof. Mrinmoyi Kulkarni
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Difficulty (on a scale of 5): 2

Course Content

A rough list of contents : –

  1. Health aspects related to personality
  2. Effect of one’s environment on health.
  3. Effect of discrimination on health
  4. Eating (Effect of diet and eating habits)
  5. Stress and Psycho-somatic disorders
  6. Tobacco and Smoking
  7. Behaviour change (Drug addiction and rehabilitation, Alcoholism and substance abuse)
  8. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  9. Alcohol
  10. Gender differences in health
  11. Framing health messages
  12. Emotion and health

Feedback on Lectures

The lectures are interesting and attending them is highly useful. The lectures involve quite a bit of participation from students as well. Although the instructor uses slides, they are just an outline of the lecture content, while all the details are discussed during the lectures and hence, taking down notes is recommended.

Feedback on Evaluations

The course consists of an assignment where one has to submit a proposal for a product which would solve/improve a health related problem in the society. Apart from that, students have to present a research paper on a relevant topic to the class. This can be done in a group of two, and a few topics are floated by the instructor. There are no quizzes. The midsem is subjective (long answer type), while the endsem is objective. The questions asked in both exams are based majorly on the lecture discussions.

Study Material and Resources

Health psychology by Marks.

Follow-up Courses

HS485

Final Takeaway

This course covers a broad study of different psychological and socio-economic aspects affecting one’s health, and hence is quite interesting and practical as well.