Natural Science 0120 - Western & Alternative Medicine

Spring
2014
1
4.00
Christopher Jarvis
10:30AM-11:50AM M,W
Hampshire College
313647
Cole Science Center 2-OPEN
cdjNS@hampshire.edu
Health involves all aspects of our lives. Many people claim that the mind, body, spirit, and environment are all aspects that interact to influence a person's sense of well-being. High-quality health care must support the whole person. There are many terms used to describe approaches that are not considered conventional Western medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. While some scientific evidence exists regarding some CAM therapies, for many there are important unanswered questions; some of these will be validated through well-designed scientific studies, while others risk exposure as simply fraudulent practices. Working individually and in small groups we will identify questions to pursue by reading and critiquing the primary scientific literature. The acceptance of these therapies is influenced by politics, history, personalities, and even their effectiveness. We will carefully evaluate some of these alternative therapies by examining the successes and failures.
Physical and Biological Sciences Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Quantitative Skills Writing and Research In this course students are generally expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.