INTHE4113 ¨C Introduction to Medical Anthropology: key concepts and perspectives

Course content

This course introduces anthropological perspectives on health, illness and medicine, and explores the interactions between biology, society and culture. It aims to present a contextual and comparative approach in which cultural and social dimensions of health-related issues are emphasized, and placed within broader political and historical processes. It will also offer a people-centered approach to understanding global health policies and interventions.

Through lectures and group work we will make extensive use of examples from mainly Africa, Asia and Norway. Four themes will be central to the course:

• cultural and social constructions of health, disease, illness and the body, and the role of medical pluralism.
• the significance of power relations and inequality in the global distribution of health and illness.
• the globalization of biomedical technologies,
• the social, cultural and political implications of global health policies.

The course is taught over five days, through lectures and extensive use of seminars.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

You will learn about anthropological perspectives and approaches to topics such as:

• Social and cultural aspects in analysis of health, illness and medicine.
• Illness narratives and explanatory models of illness
• Medical pluralism
• Medicines and pharmaceuticals
• Global health policies and practices
• Clinical trials and interventions
• Birth, death and dying

Skills

You will learn:

• to think critically about the relations between culture, health and illness
• to discuss the body in cultural perspective
• to explain biomedicine as a social and cultural system
• to explain how power relations and inequality are relevant to health and healing
• to critically analyse the relationship between global health policies and practices and local perspectives
• to explore the potential of socio-cultural perspectives within their own projects.

General competence:

• You will be able to engage with debates about health, illness and medicine in a cross-cultural perspective, in both oral and written forms.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.

• Students enrolled at the master programme in International Community Health (master),?Tverrfaglig helseforskning (master) and?Folkehelsevitenskap og epidemiologi (master) will get priority to the course, if they register in Studentweb before 10 January. The latest deadline to register and apply for the course in Studentweb is February 1.
• Students enrolled in other master¡¯s programmes at the UIO can, on application before 10 January via our?application form, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme. We prioritize students at other programmes at the Institute and Faculty. You will get an answer 20 January at the latest.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.

Overlapping courses

• 3 credits overlap with INTHE4102.

Teaching

Lectures and seminars/group work.

80% attendance in the seminars/group work is required to be eligible to take the exam. Attendance will be registered.

Examination

Home exam.

80% attendance in the seminars/group work is required to be eligible to take the exam.

Examination and grading at The Faculty of Medicine.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.