Course Objectives:
Introduction to medicine and society: The aim of this part of the course is to introduce students to social-humanistic theoretical concepts relevant to medical practice, the mutual influence of social and cultural factors on health, illness and healthcare, the importance of communication, attitudes and interaction in medicine and society, and the challenges that arise at the intersection of medicine and society.
Medical ethics: The aim of this part of the course is to introduce students to the basic concepts of ethics as a philosophical discipline and of medical ethics as a branch of applied ethics, to the main ethical responsibilities of the physician, basic principles of medical ethics, and main ethical issues in medicine.
Social medicine: The aim of this part of the course is to introduce students to the definition of health, the models of health and quality of life; the role of medicine and health services in the process of improving the health of the population; human rights and patients’ rights, especially concerning the access to health care; public health ethics and ethical theories in the development of health care; the community and the influence of social and cultural phenomena on the development of community for health.
Course Outcomes:
The knowledge acquired in the part of the course Introduction to medicine and society enables students to to see the interconnectedness of the world, society and medicine through an interdisciplinary approach, understand basic patterns of behavior associated with maintaining health, the onset of disease and the treatment process, recognize the importance of social interaction in medicine, distinguish mechanisms for forming and changing attitudes and assess their impact on health decisions and patient behavior, and assess the basic principles of a professional and culturally sensitive approach to different groups of patients.
The knowledge acquired in the part of the course Medical ethics enables students to comprehend the basic concepts of medical ethics, to understand and explain the main basic ethical principles, to understand how these principles apply to clinical practice, and to analytically approach ethical issues in clinical practice.
The knowledge acquired in the part of the course Social medicine enables students to get to know the holistic approach; be able to identify the action of social and cultural phenomena in the development of the community; get to know, respect and protect human and patient rights; and get to know the ethics of public health and ethical issues related to the development of the health care system.
Teaching Staff Members:
Medical Sociology and Medical Ethics:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Danijela Tiosavljević
Assis. Prof. Dr. Vida Jeremić Stojković
Assis. Prof. Dr. Smiljana Cvejtković
Assis. Prof. Dr. Pavle Piperac
Teaching Assist. Dr. Andrija Pavlović
Social Medicine:
Prof. Dr. Vesna Bjegović-Mikanović
Prof. Dr. Dejana Vuković
Prof. Dr. Bojana Matejić
Prof. Dr. Milena Šantrić Milićević
Prof. Dr. Zorica Terzić-Šupić
Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Jović-Vraneš
Prof. Dr. Bosiljka Đikanović
Prof. Dr. Janko Janković
Assis. Prof. Dr. Željka Stamenković
Assis. Prof. Dr. Jovana Todorović
Teaching Assis. Dr. Stefan Mandić Rajčević
Teaching Assis. Dr. Aleksandar Stevanović
Teaching Assoc. Dr. Ivana Sotirović
Teaching Assoc. Dr. Marija Zdujić
Introduction to medicine and society
03.11.2025.-07.11.2025.
Lecture: Culture and society and global health risks (06.11.2025.) - Assist. Prof. Smiljana Cvjetković
Seminar: Culture and society and global health risks
10.11.2025.-14.11.2025.
Lecture: Social interaction (13.11.2025.) - Assist. Prof. Smiljana Cvjetković
Seminar: Social interaction
17.11.2025.-21.11.2025
Lecture: Attitudes and attitude change (20.11.2025.), Assist. Prof. Vida Jeremić Stojković
Seminar: Attitudes and attitude change
24.11.2025.-28.11.2025.
Lecture: Gender and sexuality (27.11.2025.), Assoc. Prof. Danijela Tiosavljević
Seminar: Gender and sexuality
Medical ethics
01.12.2025.-05.12.2025.
Lecture: Definition of morality, moral development, and morality as a psychological function (04.12.2025.) - Assoc. Prof. Danijela Tiosavljević
Seminar: Definition of morality, moral development, and morality as a psychological function
08.12.2025.-12.12.2025.
Lecture: Introduction to ethics – main ethical theories (11.12.2025.), Assist. Prof. Smiljana Cvjetković
Seminar: Introduction to ethics – main ethical theories
15.12.2025.-19.12.2025.
Lecture: Principles of medical ethics (18.12.2025.), Assist. Prof. Vida Jeremić Stojković
Seminar: Principles of medical ethics
22.12.2025.-26.12.2025.
Lecture: Main areas of medical ethics. Reproductive ethics (25.12.2025.), Assist. Prof. Vida Jeremić Stojković
Seminar: Main areas of medical ethics. Reproductive ethics
29.12.2025.-02.01.2026.
Lecture: Ethical issues in certain branches of medicine. Euthanasia (TBD), Assoc. Prof. Danijela Tiosavljević
Seminar: Ethical issues in certain branches of medicine. Euthanasia
05.01.2026.-09.01.2026.
Lecture: Ethics of medical research (08.01.2026.), Assist. Prof. Smiljana Cvjetković
Seminar: Ethics of medical research
12.01.2026.-16.01.206.
Lecture: Medical ethics and bioethics (15.01.2026.), Assoc. Prof. Danijela Tiosavljević
Seminar: Medical ethics and bioethics
Social medicine
19.01.2026.-23.01.2026.
Lectures: Health, definition, models and determinants
The role of health care in the process of health promotion
Practicals: Health, definition, models and determinants
The role of health care in the process of health promotion
26.01.2026.-30.01.2026.
Lectures: Human rights and health
Patient’s rights in international documents
Seminars: Violation of patient’s rights – examples
02.02.2026.-06.02.2026.
Lectures: Ethical practice of public health. Public health code of ethics.
Ethical theories in the development of health care systems
Practicals: Ethical practice of public health – case studies
09.01.2026.-13.02.2026.
Lectures: Community and health.
Practicals: Good practices and examples of community health promotion
Recommended literature for Introduction to medicine and society:
- Little, William (2023) Introduction to Sociology (Third edition). OpenStax textbook. Available at: https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology3rdedition/ (chapters: 1:Culture; 12: Gender, sex and sexuality)
- Aronson, Elliot, Timothy D. Wilson and Samuel R. Sommers. Social Psychology (Tenth edition). Pearson Education, Inc. (chapters: 8:Conformity and Obedience:
Influencing Behavior; 13: Prejudice: Causes, Consequences and Cure) - Giddens, Anthony (2009) Sociology (Sixth Edition). Cambridge, Policy Network : Polity. Available at: https://archive.org/details/Sociology_6_edition/page/n9
Recommended literature for Medical Ethics:
- Beauchamp, T.L. and Childress, J.F. (2013). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (Seventh edition). Oxford University Press; (Chapter 9. Moral theories, Chapter 4: Respect for Autonomy, Chapter 5: Non-maleficence, Chapter 6: Beneficence, Chapter 7: Justice)
- Singer, P.A. and A.M. Viens, editors. (2008). The Cambridge textbook of bioethics. Cambridge University Press (Chapters 11. Euthanasia and assisted suicide, 16: Assisted reproduction, 25: Research ethics)
Recommended literature for Social Medicine:
Bjegovic V, Vukovic D (Eds.). Social Medicine. Textbook for medical students. Belgrade: University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, CIBID 2023.
Grading Policy
The exam for the module Medicine and society is in the form of the test, covering the entire course content. The test includes 50 multiple choice questions, with one correct answer out of four (2 points for each correct answer, max. 100 points). Test consists of three parts: the first part (Introduction to medicine and society) contains 13 questions, the second part (Medical ethics) contains 24 questions, and the third part (Social medicine) contains 13 questions. Students are required to pass each part of the test in order to pass the exam. For Introduction to medicine and society the minimum number of correct answers is 7 (14 points), for Medical ethics 13 (26 points) and for Social medicine 7 (14 points). No grade is provided for this module, with the status being either passed (for students who acquired sufficient number of correct answers for each part of the test) or not passed.
Ass. Prof. Vida Jeremić Stojković, chair
Department of Humanities, Pasterova 2
Phone: +381113065412
Email: vidajeremic@yahoo.com; vida.jeremic-stojkovic@med.bg.ac.rs