Natural Science 0271 - Medical Anthropology

This course is an introduction to the rich and growing field of medical anthropology: its theories, methods, and applications. Through a series of intriguing ethnographies, along with key supplemental material, we will attempt to get a handle on "medical anthropology" through consideration of such topics as immigration, the culture of medicine, the experience of illness, caregiving, addiction, violence, and humanitarian intervention. We will focus on how ethnographic research and social theory can enrich our understanding of illness and care. We will also consider how anthropological analyses can lead to the improvement of individual and population health, and to a greater understanding of wellbeing more generally. Throughout, we will emphasize two elements: 1) the vantage point of the local worlds in which people experience, narrate, and respond to illness and other forms of suffering; and 2) the ways in which large-scale forces contribute to such local experience.

Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research In this course, students can generally expect to spend 5-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.