ANTH 311 - Medicine, Body and Culture

4 credit(s)
This course is an introduction to critical areas of inquiry in medical anthropology. By examining the socio-cultural dimensions of sickness and healing cross-culturally, we will explore how anthropologists have approached historical and contemporary problems in the global field of medicine. While our course trajectory will lead us to treat Western biomedicine as only one among many systems of meaning and authority, we will also spend some time deconstructing the often unspoken assumptions that govern this field, thereby complicating the notion that the latter is somehow insulated from the reach of culture. We also will focus on issues of power, inequality, and gender and health. Also listed as GSS 311 and PH 311.
Core Requirement(s): International and Diverse Perspectives; Social Systems and Human Behavior; Civic Engagement (2010-17 catalogs).
Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101, GSS 201, SOC 101, SOC 316, or PH 101.