The Female Life-Cycle in Cross-Cultural Perspective

3 units

This course will examine the biology of the female reproductive cycle -- menarche, menstruation, and the menopause -- and its cultural interpretation around the world. Topics covered will include the embryology of human sexual differentiation, the biology of the menstrual cycle and how it influences or is influenced by various disease states, contraception, infertility, cultural taboos and beliefs about menstruation and menopause, etc. The course will utilize materials drawn from human biology, clinical gynecology, ethnography, social anthropology, and the history of medicine and will examine the interplay between female reproductive biology and culture around the world.