Methods in Social Epidemiology

Description: This course is designed to review, evaluate, and apply methods currently used in the field of social epidemiology. The course aims to teach approaches to forming clear research questions, and selecting the best method(s) to answer the questions posed. Initially we will discuss approaches to defining clear and specific research questions. We will then discuss recent controversies around the meaning of questions posed in social epidemiology, and the ability of currently used methods to answer questions in social epidemiology. Finally we will review, evaluate, and apply a range of different methods that are or could be used to answer questions in social epidemiology, again emphasizing the types of questions answered by these methods, and their ability to address the challenges to effectively answering questions in social epidemiology. There will be a mixture of discussion and lecture depending on the topic, with student participation and questions strongly encouraged.