What is Medical Anthropology?

What is Medical Anthropology?

Imagine that your friends or parents (or anyone else you know) were interested in this course and asked you to explain its subject matter. How would you answer the question, “What is medical anthropology?”

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 2 Discussion

Culture and Medicine

This week you are reading about different medical traditions. In what ways does culture influence health and healing beliefs? How do medical anthropologist approach the study of the intersection of health and culture? Please use examples from the course materials.

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 3 Discussion

The Experience of Illness

This week you are learning about the experience of illness. A meaning-centered perspective involves the ways that the disease is perceived by the people who are affected by it. In what ways is this perspective important for health practitioners to pursue? How is it relevant in terms of diagnosing and healing diseases? Please give examples to support your opinion.

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 4 Discussion

Stigma

This week you read about the stigma of certain illnesses. How can the stigmatization of an illness can change over time? What can medical anthropologists do to lessen the stigmatization of different types of illness? Please use examples to support your opinion.

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 5 Discussion

Human Genome Project

Please conduct your own research on the Human Genome Project and respond to the following discussion:

The conclusion of the Human Genome Project and the successful mapping of every human gene means that genetic prophecy may soon be the norm for us all. One example I can think of is that some women who have tested positive for the breast cancer gene have had preemptive mastectomies, even though they have not yet developed or may never develop breast cancer. If you had the chance to map your genetic make-up, would you want to know your future chances of getting certain diseases? Why or why not?

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 6 Discussion

Mental Health

We have had discussions on how health is culturally defined. How does the same idea apply to mental health as well? What are some ways that culture and views on mental health are intertwined? How does culture affect those who may suffer from mental health issues? Please provide examples to back up your opinion.

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 7 Discussion

Climate Change

Read “Beyond Global Warming:

Interacting Ecocrises and the Critical Anthropology of Health”

http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.20638661&site=eds-live&scope=sitehttp:

How can anthropology’s holism and various theoretical approaches help us better understand and respond to the health implications of climate change?

ANTH350 Health, Illness, and Healing

Week 8 Discussion

The Future of Medical Anthropology

This week you are reading about the future of Medical Anthropology. Think about all of the different theories and applications you have learned in this class thus far. Where do you see the future of medical anthropology going? What is a local or global health issue that would benefit from the work of medical anthropology? Please use examples to support your opinion.