ANTH 357G, MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
MW 2:30-3:45, Hardman Hall 112
Dr. Wenda Trevathan
This course provides an overview of evolutionary, epidemiological, and cross-cultural perspectives on disease, curing, and health care systems. We will discuss such concepts as who gets sick, what causes illness, how cultures vary in what they consider to be illnesses, who are the healers, and how health varies throughout the lifespan. We will also look at alternative medical systems practiced in the United States, noting that several of these are primary medical systems in other parts of the world. We will explore these issues through lectures, readings, films, guest presentations, and group projects.
Tentative Daily Schedule of Classes and Activities
Date Topic Readings
_____________________________________________________________________________
Aug 22 Introduction to course
Aug 24 Factors affecting health and illness Brown, pp. 1-19
Aug 29 Evolutionary Medicine Brown, 33-37
Aug 31 Evolutionary Medicine (continued) Brown, 20-33
QUIZ 1
Sept. 7 Biology and Health Brown, 38-45
Sept. 12 Biology and Health (cont) Brown, 46-51
QUIZ 2
Sept. 14 Health in prehistory Brown, 58-69
Sept. 19 Epidemiology, ecology and health Brown, 70-92
QUIZ 3
Sept. 21 Who gets sick? Political economy of Brown, 92-107
Health and illness.
Sept. 26 Health in the life cycle: pregnancy, Dancing Skeletons (DS)
childbirth, infancy Chapters 1-5
QUIZ 4
Sept 28 Health of the world's children DS, Chapter 6-10
Brown, 375-387
Oct. 3 Gender and health; aging and health DS, Chapters 11-14
QUIZ 5
Oct. 5 Culture and health Brown, 108-128
Proposal due
Oct.10 continued Brown,158-168
QUIZ 6
Oct. 12 EXAMINATION # 1
Oct. 17 Healers Brown, 169-182
Oct. 19 Culture and mental health Brown, 183-206
QUIZ 7
Oct 24 Medical traditions of the world Reading on reserve
Hippocratic; Chinese Classical Medicine
Oct 26 continued: Ayurvedic medicine; Homeopathy Reading on reserve
QUIZ 8
Oct 31 Ethnicity and Health Brown, 240-258
Nov. 2 Team Presentations (3) Brown, 259-286
Nov. 7 Team Presentations (3) Brown, 286-302
Nov. 9 Gender and Health Brown, 343-365
Quiz 9
Nov. 14 Team presentations (3)
QUIZ 9
Nov. 16 Team presentation (1)
Health and Culture Change Brown, 401-413
Nov. 28 International Health; Modernization Brown, 333-342
Team project summaries due
QUIZ 10
Nov. 30 Catch up and review Brown, 422-438
Interview transcripts due
Dec 7 Examination #2 (1:00-3:00)
TEXTS
Brown, Peter J. Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology. Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998.
Dettwyler, K. A. Dancing Skeletons. Illinois: Waveland Press, 1994.
OFFICE: 302 Breland Hall, phone 646-3720, e-mail wtrevath@nmsu.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Monday 4-5, Wednesday 11-12; also by appointment
Listserve: As soon as you can, please join the class listserve. To do this you send an e-mail message to listproc@nmsu.edu. In the area where you would write a message, type “subscribe medanth Your Name.” They will let you know if you were successful.
GRADES. You will have the opportunity to earn up to 500 points during the semester, based on the following class assignments. Final grades will be determined by the number of points earned:
450-500 A
400-449 B
350-399 C
300-349 D
<300 F
A. 100 points from 10 short quizzes scheduled as noted on the syllabus. These quizzes will be multiple choice and true-false and will cover material from lecture, films, and readings since the previous quiz. You will have an option of completing up to two short exercises to replace low quiz score(s) or a quiz you have to miss for any reason. This is the ONLY extra credit option. Because quizzes are graded in class, there will be no opportunity to make up a missed quiz, no matter what the excuse. I will announce these extra credit opportunities throughout the semester in class and on the listserve. Examples include special presentations and seminars scheduled on campus.
B. 200 points from a midterm and a final exam. These exams will be multiple choice, short answer, and short essay. They will cover material from lecture, films, readings, and class discussion. They are not cumulative. Study guides will be given a week before the exam.
C. 100 points from a group project that includes a 5-page paper and class presentation (see details below).
D. 100 points from an individual project based on an interview with a member of one of the following groups of people:
a. a person from a different cultural or ethnic background from your own
b. a practitioner of an alternative healing method (i.e., anything other than allopathic medicine or dentistry)
c. a person at least two generations from you (for most of you, that would be your grandparent's generation)
We will develop a list of questions to ask in the interview during a class session. The transcript with commentary or 4-5 page written summary of the interview will be due November 30.
C continued: Each of you will be assigned to a Project Team comprised of 4 students. I will try to achieve a balance based on your topic of interest and academic major. This is the group you will work with on your project. Keep in mind that this group structure more closely resembles what you will likely find in the "real world" of employment, and that your ability to work cooperatively in a group environment will better prepare you for such employment. In fact, it will be a useful item on your resume (better than "I sat in classes and passively received wisdom from instructors."). Also, as in the real world, the team members will not necessarily be people you already know.
Your group's team project will require that you select a topic to pursue in depth through interviews with community members and use of library, internet, and other sources of information. You should meet with your group and select a topic as soon as possible. In weeks 3 and 4, teams will meet with me and I will provide more information and guidance on this assignment.
Each team should prepare a project proposal that includes 1) topic; 2) preliminary bibliography including internet sources; 3) proposed methods of researching the topic (e.g., interview with practitioners, etc.); and 4) plans for presenting the project to the class (e.g., powerpoint presentation, video, skit). This proposal is due October 5. You will then schedule your presentations for the weeks in November indicated on the syllabus (November 2, 7, 9 and 14). A summary of your project (3-4 pages, plus bibliography) is due November 28. You may hand in one summary for your entire team, making sure all names are on the paper.
Hints: If you are studying a healing tradition (e.g., Ayurveda, Christian Science, homeopathy) or a culture's ways of treating health and illness, be sure to incorporate concepts such as explanatory model, how illness is defined and recognized, who treats illnesses, what methods are employed, how healers are regarded, relationships between healer and healed, etc.
Presentation: Your team will have a maximum of 20 minutes to present your project to the class. You are encouraged to use various ways of conveying the material (e.g., video segment, oral presentation, skit, slides or overheads, handouts, class activity, powerpoint presentation). Your grade on the presentation will be based on 1) a self-assessment of your effort and performance; 2) your team members’ assessment of your efforts; and 3) a score I give to the team as a whole. The grade I award the team will be based on the following criteria: creativity, research, the presentation itself (including time limit), and the content. Additionally, you will receive a grade on the proposal and the final summary.
Ideas for Group Term Projects
curanderismo, herbalistos, sobadores, espiritism
paleopathology
medicinal plants of Dona Ana County
medicinal plants of selected Native American groups
trance healing in traditional cultures
acupuncture, acupressure
traditional healing among Mescalero Apache, Navajo, Rio Grande Puebloans, Zuni, Lakota, etc.
health and illness in a selected cultural group of the world
root medicine
endangered plant species as sources of medicines
example culture-specific illnesses such as susto, mal de ojo, latah, empacho
hot-cold concept of illness
remedios
uses of medicinal herbs by nonhuman primates
pregnancy and childbirth practices
health and gender issues in selected cultures
the effects of a specific disease or syndrome on human populations (e.g., the Black Plague, malaria, schistosomiasis)
health and modernization
world population, population control, birth control
integration of traditional (e.g., Navajo) and modern approaches to medical practice
many more
NOTES
1. Make-up work. Quiz make-ups will not be given in this course for any reason. Exam make-ups will require a written excuse from a physician or other appropriate person, and you must notify me as soon as possible, preferably before the exam is given. Assignments handed in late will be penalized five points per day.
2 “Students with Disabilities. If you have or believe you have a disability and would benefit from any accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located at Garcia Annex (phone: 646-6840). If you have already registered, please make sure that your instructor receives a copy of the accommodation memorandum from SSD within the first two weeks of classes. It is your responsibility to inform either your instructor or SSD representative in a timely manner if services/accommodations provided are not meeting your needs.
If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the instructor and/or Mr. Michael Armendariz, SSD Coordinator. Feel free to call Ms. Angela Velasco (Interim EEO/ADA and Employee Relations Director) at 646-3333 with any questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.
3. This course meets a Viewing a Wider World requirement for students in colleges other than Arts and Sciences.