Anthropology of Health and Healing

3 units

This course uses an anthropological perspective to examine global health and illness by focusing on systems, substances and techniques of healing. The student is presented with information from a variety of cultures designed to introduce basic principles and methods used in the discipline of medical anthropology. Concepts fundamental to the study of health and disease in cross-cultural contexts are explored via case histories that facilitate a holistic and comparative understanding of the rich diversity of human experience. The relationship between biology and culture is emphasized, along with the manner in which politics, economics, and social structure influence the choices people make in their efforts to diagnose, treat, and cure illness and disease and to promote health.