0005 581H Humanities
Introduction to Medical Anthropology

Instructor(s): Peter Benson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology Student Coordinators: Marc Sherman MD/PhD student

INTRODUCTION:
This selective offers students an introduction to the field of medical anthropology. Class readings and presentations by local anthropologists will examine how beliefs concerning illness, healing, and the body differ across and within cultures. Distinguishing physical “disease” from understandings of “illness,” class discussion will explore the ways culture shapes the experience of the sick, as well as how belief systems interact with the delivery of health care. Students will be challenged to explore these topics within the context of our own culture’s management of health and illness.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
The goals of this course are to train students to: 1) identify ways culture shapes illness experiences, medical systems, healer / patient interactions, and the practice of healers; 2) recognize interactions of biology, genetics, and culture in the study of illness; and, 3) think critically about health and illness in our culture.


SCHEDULE & CLASS FORMAT
There will be six class sessions, each of which will be one and half hour long. Each class session will focus on a different sub-field within medical anthropology (e.g., anthropology and public health; anthropology of science, etc.). First, there will be a half-hour introductory discussion of that sub-field, and for the remainder of the class, a guest speaker will present their specific research in that sub-field. Guest speakers will all be Washington University-affiliated medical anthropologists. Classes will be interactive and students are encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussion with guest speakers. Short readings related to guest speakers’ presentations will be distributed during the course.

EVALUATIONS & GRADING:
Pass / fail evaluations will be based on the following: Participation – 50%, Reflection Papers – 50%
Complete evaluation questionnaire

Participation: It is mandatory you attend every seminar. Inform the coursemaster in advance (if possible) if you cannot attend class.

Reflection Papers: Two reflection papers will be due during the course. Students may decide what material they wish to cover in these reflection papers and when they would like to submit them. At least one of these reflection papers must be turned in by the beginning of the fourth class session. Reflection papers should be three pages long and should discuss themes students found interesting in the class presentations and how those topics might relate to their own research or clinical interests. These papers should be informal discussions of students’ thoughts on the course material.

Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Dates:

1/20/2010
1/27/2010
2/03/2010
2/10/2010
2/17/2010
2/24/2010

Location: Farrell Learning and Teaching small group room 206