ANT 4462 Culture and Medicine - University of Florida



ANT 4462 Culture and Medicine

Tuesday 11:45 am-1:40 pm

Thursday 12:50-1:40 pm

Norman Hall 0331

Dr. Alyson Young

Office: Grinter 433

Office Hours: Tuesday 2 pm-4 pm

Office Phone: 392-1896

Email: agyoung@ufl.edu

Course Description

This course offers a broad examination of health and disease in a cross-cultural context. As part of this course, we explore the relationship of anthropology to the art and science of medicine through cross-cultural comparisons and specific ethnographic examples. Given the time constraints of this class, we are not able to examine everything related to medical anthropology. Instead we will use literature, film, and discussion to examine the cultural construction and organization of diverse health systems, world economic development/political economy of health, and the role of the anthropologist in transformations of contemporary Western health systems.

By the end of the course you should be able to: 1) describe the scope of medical anthropology and give examples of the key theoretical and empirical areas; 2) Analyze the biocultural factors that shape the distribution of health; 3) Evaluate cultural influences and assumptions about healing practices; 4) Apply an anthropological perspective to public health problems both in the U.S. and internationally.

This course is also designed to develop your learning skills, including: 1) Analytical thinking and research abilities (including information acquisition and critical reading and writing skills); 2) Holistic learning skills and the ability to integrate ideas from many different perspectives

Course Format

This course consists of lectures, class discussion and group activities. Generally, Tuesdays will consist of lecture and Thursdays will be used for discussion and group work. The purpose of lectures will be to review the concepts associated with each topic and integrate the material. Advance preparation is important for this class because we will cover a wide array of material. It is expected that you will come to class prepared for discussion.

Course Materials

There are five books required for this class:

• Joralemon D. 1999. Exploring Medical Anthropology, 2nd edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

• Dettwyler, K.A. 1994. Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.

• Farmer, P. 1999. Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues. Berkeley: University of California Press.

• Fadiman, A. 1997. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: a Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

• Kleinman, A. 1988. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing, and the Human Condition. New York: Basic Books.

The course schedule also provides supplementary readings for each topic. These articles and chapters will be available on the class E-Learning website.

Course Requirements and Grading

There are three important components to your grade in this course:

Class participation (50 pts.): Students are expected to attend each class meeting and take an active part in discussion and activities. Active participation requires that you read all assignments and prepare questions and discussion points. I will evaluate your participation on the quality of your contributions, not just the quantity of contributions. Occasionally, there will be short in-class writing exercises in which you will be asked to summarize assigned readings, suggest questions, or introduce topics for discussion. These exercises are designed to help me assess your comprehension of the material and help you hone your ability to quickly summarize class material. In-class writings will be graded on a pass/fail basis as part of your participation grade.

Exams (50 pts. ea.): There are two essay exams during this course. Each exam is worth 50 points and is designed to test you comprehension of concepts a readings introduced during the course. The first of these exams is on October 9 and the second is on December 18, during exam week. These exams will include a combination of short answer and essay questions.

Research paper (100 pts.): The research paper will be comprised of several components to help you develop your research and analytical skills. The basic information on the paper is presented here, additional material will be provided in class.

← Paper topic (10 pts.): You are required to submit an outline defining your topic of interest by the beginning of class on September 18. The outline should identify your topic and the key arguments in your paper. Do some preliminary library research to help you appropriately identify and narrow your research question.

← Annotated bibliography (20 pts.): You are required to submit an annotated bibliography with at least 10 key references for your paper. These references should clearly relate to your topic. In this bibliography, your annotations should briefly evaluate the source and identify how it will contribute to your research. The annotated bibliography is due at the beginning of class on October 2.

← Abstract (10 pts.): A 250-300 word abstract for your paper is due on October 23. This abstract should be a condensed version of your paper. It should clearly identify your thesis statement, provide an overview of the key arguments that you make in the paper, identify the evidence you will use, and identify the conclusion of your research.

← Draft submission (10 pts): You are required to submit a complete draft of your final paper at the beginning of class on November 6. These drafts will be returned to you on November 13. This draft should represent your best effort at developing your thesis statement into a well-organized argument that is supported by your literature review. You will have an opportunity to revise your draft after receiving feedback.

← Final paper (50 pts.): The final paper should be 10 pages (excluding references). Figures and tables are not necessary, but if used they should be included at the end of the paper. Papers should be double spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins. References should be formatted with an appropriate bibliographic style (i.e. Chicago Manual of Style, American Anthropologist style etc.) If you have questions about appropriate bibliographic format, please come see me. The final paper is due on December 4 at the beginning of class. Electronic submissions of the final paper, and components of the final paper will not be accepted.

Grades: Final grades will be based on the following scale: A (90-100), B+ (87-89), B (80-86), C+(77-79), C (70-76), D+(67-69), D (60-66), E ( ................
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