Instructions:  Answer each of the following items based on the information presented in the textbook.  Refer to the writing assignment rubric for specific grading criteria.

1. How has your education prepared you to be a knowledgeable voter and active citizen? Now imagine if every other student had a similar experience. What are the ramifications for our democracy?

2. Can you think of at least two ways that your social class influenced your school experience? How might your school experience be different if you were a member of a much higher or lower social class? Why?

3. If the best predictors of educational success are parents income and education (shaped by class which is ones socioeconomic status), can education be an equalizer?

4. Consider government policies that relate to health (e.g., universal health care coverage vs. private insurance, gun control policies, regulations controlling how much companies can pollute, etc.). Now, imagine if the government used a hands off approach and did not create rules and regulations regarding these issues. How might that affect societyand your own life?

5. In what ways are health and illness social experiences and not simply biological phenomena?

6. How might the progressive effects of a chronic illness affect a persons social life, mental health, and sense of identity?

7.  How are an individuals health behaviors influenced by social factors?

8.  How do sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and social class affect health and life expectancy?

9.  What are the major issues facing the U.S. health care system?

10.  How does the U.S. health care system compare to other countries systems?