ANTHRO 208 : Biosocial Medical Anthropology

Arts

2022 Semester One (1223) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Medical Anthropology draws on biological and social/cultural anthropology to address issues of human health and disease. A distinct subfield, it includes studies of the co-evolution of humans and diseases, human ecology, cultural constructions of health and illness, medical knowledge and healing practices, and the political economy of health. Students are asked to research, think and write analytically about these topics.

Course Overview

This is a key course in the Anthropology programme as it operates at the intersection of the subfields of biological and social anthropology. It is especially important for students interested in postgraduate study related to health in biological anthropology. The four main approaches of medical anthropology are explored: 1) Ecological and evolutionary, 2) Interpretive, 3) Political economic or critical, and 4) Applied, aligning with four major course themes or points: 1) That biology and culture matter equally in the human experience of health and disease (emphasizing the importance of a biosocial/biocultural perspective), 2) The critical role of the political economy in shaping health risks and disease treatment, 3) The importance of ethnography (and cross-cultural perspectives) as a tool to understand illness and suffering, and 4) The useful application of medical anthropology to current health problems.
 
Each year one ethnography (book) is selected for discussion and analysis.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: ANTHRO 100 or 102 or 60 points passed at Stage I Restriction: ANTHRO 324, 372

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Bring an appropriate range of theoretical and analytical perspectives to bear on topics in medical anthropology. (Capability 1)
  2. Understand how different biosocial or biocultural approaches may be satisfactorily combined to address particular topics. (Capability 1)
  3. Identify appropriate resources, research and write analytically within this area of anthropological work. (Capability 4.1)
  4. Identify contemporary issues associated with health and think about these from a biosocial/biocultural medical anthropology perspective. (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 6.1 and 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Compulsory Coursework 5% Individual Coursework
Assignments 35% Individual Coursework
Take-home Test 20% Individual Test
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination

Next offered

Semester 1, 2022

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 32 hours of lectures and in-class exercises and discussion (this takes holidays such as ANZAC Day into account), with 118 hours of reading, thinking about the content, and working on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered in two delivery modes:

Campus Experience

Classes will be conducted on campus in-person. The live lectures, including lectorial content (any instructor-delivered lecture-style content in 3rd weekly contact hour), will be available as recordings. However, lectorial (3rd hour) recordings are not a substitute for active participation in class discussions, as they may not capture all student questions and comments. Pre-assigned discussion questions will be available via Canvas. 

The course may include live online events including scholar Q&As, which will be recorded.

Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Online (available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2022)

Lectures, including lectorial content (any instructor-delivered lecture-style content in 3rd weekly contact hour), will be available as recordings. 

Attendance is not expected at scheduled online activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course. The course may include live online events including group discussions and scholar Q&As. Any scholar Q&As will be recorded. If online tutorials (group discussions) are scheduled, these will not be recorded. Pre-assigned discussion questions will be available via Canvas. 

Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.

Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course.

This course runs to the University semester timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply. The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Required Texts :
Textbook: Singer, Merrill, et al. 2019. Introducing Medical Anthropology: A Discipline in Action (3rd edition). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Ethnography:  Spray, Julie. 2020. The Children in Child Health: Negotiating Young Lives and Health in New Zealand. Rutgers University Press. 
Further required readings (e.g., journal articles) will be available via the Talis list.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Other Information

Students are expected to attend lectures and to read the set readings before class. This could be a skim reading before class and a careful reading afterwards. Lectures will include some time for in-class discussions in which all students are expected to participate - particularly in the third weekly contact hour which is discussion-focused. These discussions will follow along with the lectures and readings. Brief in-class videos are also an important part of the course.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 29/10/2021 02:42 p.m.