ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ILLNESS AND CURING

    This course will take a cross-cultural look at illness and curing throughout the world from the medical anthropological perspective. Major topic areas include ethnomedicine; major medical systems including biomedicine; alternative medical systems: rituals, symbols and healing; illness and social control; midwifery and women healers; and the role of medical anthropology in international health. The course will be conducted in lecture/discussion format.

    Students will be responsible for verbal summaries of reading assignments as part of class participation (1-3 depending on class size) and for verbal presentation of their research projects. This is a W course. The majority of the grade will be based on written assignments and examinations. Students are expected to spend enough time preparing their written assignments to hone their writing skills. The Writing Center in Arjona 344 is an excellent resource.

    Grades will be based on the following:

Written Assignments

Research topic                                                   October 24
Outline of paper                                                 November 21
Optional draft                                                     November 21
Field research paper                              40%     December 12

Exams

Midterm                                                 20%     October 24
Final                                                      20%     December 21

Oral Assignments

Research presentation                            10%     November 28-December 5
Class Participation                                 10%     all semester
 

Required Books:

1. Bannerman, Robert, J. Burton, and Ch'en Wen-Chieh (eds.) 1983, Traditional Medicine and Health Care Coverage. Geneva: World Health Organization.

2. McGuire, Meredith B. 1988. Ritual Healing in Suburban America. Rutgers University Press.

3. McClain, Carol Shepherd (ed.) 1989. Women as Healers. Cross-cultural Perspectives. Rutgers University Press.

4. Snow, Loudell F. 1993. Walkin' Over Medicine. Westview Press.
 
 

CLASS SCHEDULE

1. September 5                 ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
                                           Introduction to course & Course Mechanics
                                           History of Medicine
 

PART I. MEDICAL SYSTEMS

September 7                     ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE

    Bannerman: Ch. 9, pp. 90-109
                        Ch. 23, pp. 240-252

                                            ETHNOMEDICINE

    Bannerman: Foreword, Introduction,
                        and Ch.1, pp. 7-24.

2. September 12                HUMORAL MEDICINE

Greek Medicine & Herbal Medicine
    Bannerman: Ch.17-19, pp. 175-208.

Latin America
    Bannerman: Ch.3, pp.37-49.
    The Americas, Ch.21, pp. 222-230. Examples

McClain: Healers in the Andes, pp. 24-41 and Puerto Rican Espiritista, pp. 157-185.
 

September 14 Video: Eduardo the Healer

 
3. September 19         AYURVEDA, UNANI, AND OTHER ASIAN MEDICINE

    Bannerman: Ch.4 and 5, pp. 50-67.
    Southeast Asia, Ch. 22, pp. 231-239.

Video: Sucking Doctor

September 21 Examples

    McClain: Healers in Sri Lanka, pp. 42-57 and
                    Korean Shaman's Story, pp. 138-156.
 

4. September 26         TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
 
    Bannerman: Ch.6-8, pp. 68-89.
                        Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific, Ch.24-25, pp. 253-280.

September 28   Video: To Taste 100 Herbs (58 min.)
 

5. October 3 AFRICA & WEST INDIES

    Bannerman: Ch.2, pp.25-36.
    African Region, Ch.20, pp. 209-221.

Examples

    McClain: Mystical Black Power, pp. 186-200.
    McClain: Balm in Jamaica, pp. 76-97.

October 5    Video: Voodoo and the Church in Haiti
 

6. October 10 MIDWIFERY AND REPRODUCTION

    Bannerman: Ch.15, pp. 142-162.

October 12 Examples

    McClain: Management of Reproduction, pp.58-75
                    Rural and Urban Benin, pp. 204-218.
                    American Lay Midwife, pp. 219-238
 

7. October 17    Video: Seven Days and Seven Nights
 

PART II. ALTERNATIVE HEALING IN THE UNITED STATES

October 19             ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE I

    Bannerman: Ch. 10-14, pp. 110-141,
                        Ch. 16, pp. 163-174
Examples

    McClain: Christian Science, pp. 98-114.
 

8. October 24         MIDTERM

RESEARCH TOPICS DUE

October 26   Ritual Healing in Suburban America, Ch. 1-2, pp. 3-37
 

9. October 31 Ritual Healing in Suburban America, Ch. 3-4, pp. 38-94

November 3 Ritual Healing in Suburban America, Ch. 5-6, pp. 95-160
 

10. November 6 Ritual Healing in Suburban America Ch. 7-8, pp. 161-212

November 9 Ritual Healing in Suburban America, Ch. 9-10, pp. 213-258
 

11. November 14 Walkin' Over Medicine, Ch. 1-4, pp. 1-94

Video: The Shrine
 
November 16 Walkin' Over Medicine, Ch. 5-7, pp. 95-170
 

12. November 21 Walkin' Over Medicine, Ch. 8-10, pp. 171-280.
 

Thanksgiving Recess November 22-26
 

13. November 28          RESEARCH REPORTS

November 30                RESEARCH REPORTS

14. December 5 RESEARCH REPORTS

 
PART III. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL/MODERN

December 7         INTERNATIONAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

    Bannerman: Ch. 26-28, pp. 281-330.

    Video: Child Survival

 
15. December 12 HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

    Rubenstein and Lane article, pp. 367-390.
    Neumann and Lauro, pp. 1817-1824.
        (Both are on reserve in Babbidge Library.)
 
 

GUIDE TO FIELD RESEARCH PAPER

The field research paper will be a summary of a research project you conduct on a health related/medical topic of interest to you. You are expected to do library research on the topic in order to provide a background, history, and explanation of your topic. In addition you should spend about 4 to 8 hours investigating your topic in the field (e.g. interviewing, observing, participating, etc.). In the paper you will provide an overview of your topic based on the library research and your research results. Describe your "data" and analyze it anthropologically (e.g. Answer these questions: How does it "make sense" in terms of the particular culture or society? What function does it fulfill? Is it useful in a pragmatic sense (effective) - if so, how? How does it fit with other social/cultural institutions? Is it part of the dominant culture or part of an alternative culture? What does it mean in terms of the dominant culture (etic interpretation)? What does it mean to those participating in it (emic interpretation)?

Suggestions for possible topics include:

1) interviews with a doctor, nurse, midwife, pharmacist, chiropractor, hypnotist, acupuncturist, physical therapist, health educator, psychologist, (or student in any of these professions) about their work, their patients, major health problems they encounter in their work, etc.

2) interviews with a person who practices yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, etc. or who is a Christian Scientist about the perceived risks/benefits of their lifestyle, how they "got into it", etc.

3) interviews with a cigarette smoker, recreational user of illegal drugs or alcohol, or person who does not exercise preventive behaviors with regards to motor vehicles (eg. does not use seat belts, a helmet, etc.) about their perceptions of the risks/benefits of their lifestyle to their health.

4) interviews with foreign students about health care and health beliefs in their homeland and their experience with our health care system.

5) your own experience in utilizing the western health care system in the U.S. or abroad or alternative medical systems at home or abroad.

6) visits and interviews at health specialty stores: health foods, herbal medicine, spiritual healing paraphernalia, New Age store, Chinese drug store, etc. (Try Hartford, New York, or Boston, but there are a surprising number in and around Storrs).

7) lay ideas about the causation of major diseases such as - cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, etc. and/or alternative treatments/therapies.
 

Please clear your topic with me by October 24. I'm open to suggestions. An outline of the paper is due on November 21. You also have the option of turning in a draft of your paper for comments and suggestions by November 21 (to be returned after Thanksgiving recess).

An oral summary (10-15 minutes) of your research will be presented in class November 28-December 5.

Protection of Human Subjects: Please interview only adults (age 18 and over) who speak a language in which you are conversant. Interviews with public officials are exempt as are observations in public places. Your responsibility is to fully inform those you interview about the purpose of your study and the use(s) to which the data will be put.

Length: 20 pages, typed, double spaced

Due date: December 12

Class presentations: November 28-December 5

Percent of grade: written report - 40%, class presentation -10%