Time Schedule:
Mario Ceron Valdes
ANTH 215
Seattle Campus
Explores influences of global processes on health of U.S. and other societies from a social-justice perspective. Emphasizes inter-relationships between cultural, environmental, social-economic, political, and medical systems that contribute to health status, outcomes, policies, and health-care delivery, focus on health disparities within and between societies and communities around the world.
Class description
This course is an introduction to medical anthropology with a focus on global health. As a professional and academic field, medical anthropology provides conceptual and analytical tools for a comprehensive understanding of health, illness and healing. It is concerned with the ways in which individual experience is inserted in social and historical contexts.
We will explore ideas and behaviors related to health in different societies and social groups, as well as the ways in which different groups organize their resources to face health-related needs in the context of their social and economic realities. Course material combines introductory readings, academic articles and in-depth ethnographic studies with the analysis of journalistic pieces addressing currently important. It also combines the study of illness experience and medical practice in the United States with that of other countries.
Student learning goals
1. to define key concepts in the field of medical anthropology;
2. to gain understanding of issues of current importance for global health;
3. to apply concepts derived from medical anthropology to the analysis of global health as a field of practice.
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
