Module ANTH1041: Health, Illness and Society

Department: Anthropology

ANTH1041: Health, Illness and Society

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to the concepts, approaches and methods of medical anthropology and evolutionary medicine, as multi- and interdisciplinary fields.
• To promote the value of a multidisciplinary perspective to the study of health and illness.
• To give an insight into how social, cultural, biological and evolutionary factors interact in the field of health and disease.
• To show the potential for medical anthropology and evolutionary medicine to contribute to health policy and planning in our own and other societies.

Content

• What is health? Lay perspectives on health and well-being
• Disease, illness and sickness
• Mind, body and society
• Cross-cultural perspectives on health, illness and healthcare • Adaptation, natural selection and health
• Evolutionary and ecological approaches to population health
• Age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care
• Health education/promotion
• Community health
• Health and the life course (e.g. chronic illness)
• Health systems
• Biomedicine as a cultural system Medical pluralism - complementary, alternative and traditional medicine
• Healing rituals
• Medicalization
• Drugs and pharmaceuticals
• The role of medicine in the demographic transition
• Health at the global level
• Introduction to research methods in medical anthropology
• Evolutionary medicine

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the main concepts, approaches and methods used by anthropologists in the study of health and ill-health.
• Understand the scope of medical anthropology and evolutionary medicine and their relationships to both social anthropology and biological anthropology as wholes.
• Insight into one or more non-western health world-views.
• Familiarity with some of the biological, ecological and socio-cultural aspects of health and ill-health across and within societies and individuals.

• Read and understand some key texts that address practical and theoretical issues relating to health.
• Prepare short written assignments on health-related topics.
• Develop cross-cultural empathy and understanding in relation to notions of health and illness in different societies.

• Ability to evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources (e.g. written, oral and internet)
• An ability to construct reasoned arguments
• Ability to frame research issues and problems

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Plenaries will provide students with a mix of lecture-based and interactive and peer learning activities aimed at developing their knowledge and understanding of key issues in the Anthropology of Health at an introductory level.
• Seminars enable further discussion and clarification of materials as well as opportunities to undertake and discuss formative assessments.
• Summative assessment will consist of two 1500 word essays. These are intended to enable students to demonstrate their learning and progression against materials presented in the course.
• The module DUO site serves to ensure that students can find the information about the module they require at any time.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A diverse range of interactive learning activities designed to enhance the education experience of the module and the students’ engagement with the subject matter. Examples include collaborative and individual essay and blog writing tasks, short online quizzes, Powerpoint slides or presentations summarizing readings; contributing to discussion boards. These formative elements will be the subject of both verbal and written feedback.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University