Medicine East and West: Comparing Healthcare in the U.S. And China

3 units

This course provides a foundational introduction to comparative health studies by examining the health care systems of the United States and China. Using the tools and interpretive frameworks of the field of medical anthropology, students in this course will be exposed to a broad range of topics dealing with health and healthcare in Eastern and Western contexts. These include the study of medical pluralism, meaning of illness, health care financing, preventive care, political-economic perspectives, and sociobehavioral perspectives on health and wellness. Students taking this class will be better prepared to understand and address on-going health care concerns affecting U.S. and Chinese society.