ANTH-160 : Anthropology of Health and Healing

Course, prefix, number, & title: ANTH-160 Anthropology of Health and Healing

Hours (Class, recitation, Laboratory, studio): 3 class hours

Credits: 3

Pre-requisites (if any): (or Co-requisite:) Students must complete any developmental requirements in English (see Proficiency in Math and English) prior to taking this course or enroll in ENGL-101 and BE-102 at the same time as this course

Course Description in college catalog:

This course offers an overview of health, illness and healing in cross-cultural perspective. Topics covered include cultural interpretations of health and illness, traditional healing practices, and important global health concerns. Students will become acquainted with medical anthropology methods and will learn anthropological approaches to solving health-related problems, including an examination of the ways social status, cultural meanings and economic inequalities influence health and illness. The course draws primarily on work from the fields of medical anthropology, sociology and public health but will also turn to more exploratory modes such as memoirs and expressive writing to gain a deeper, more personal understanding of the meaning and experience of health and illness in individual lives.

Academic programs for which this course serves as a requirement or an elective:

A.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences

A.S. Liberal Arts and Sciences (Mathematics and Science)

General Education Outcomes: Below is a listing of General Education Outcome(s) that this course supports.

1. Communicate effectively in various forms

2. Integrate knowledge and skills in the program of study

3. Make ethical judgments while recognizing multiple perspectives, as appropriate in the program of study

Course-specific student learning outcomes:

1. Gather, interpret, and assess information on health and illness from a variety of sources and points of view.

2. Evaluate evidence and arguments about health, healing and illness critically or analytically.

3. Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments on issues of health and illness using evidence to support conclusions.   

4. Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a medical anthropology to explore the relationship between the individual and society. 

5. Examine how an individual's place in society affects their health and healing experiences, values, or choices.

6. Articulate and assess ethical views and their underlying premises with reference to health and healing practices

7. Articulate ethical uses of data and other information resources to respond to problems and questions of health and illness.

8. Identify and engage with local, national, or global health trends or ideologies, and analyze their impact on individual or collective decision-making.

Methods by which student learning will be assessed and evaluated; describe the types of methods to be employed; note whether certain methods are required for all sections:

Students in this course are evaluated on the basis of exams, written assignments, and class participation.  Students will write informal Reading Responses about the course readings on Blackboard and will write a formal ethnographic project in which they will engage in a series of ethnographic exercises, including an assessment of their own health practices, a survey of family health practices, two observations of a health practice, participation in a health practice, and final reflection. The grading scale is based on a point system:

Participation 26 points (2 points per class)

Reading Responses 30 points (10 required at 3 points each)

Ethnography Project 60 points (6 parts at 10 points each)

Quizzes 30 points (3 at 10 points each)

Midterm (30 points)

Final 60 points

Academic Integrity policy (department or College):
Academic honesty is expected of all students. Any violation of academic integrity is taken extremely seriously. All assignments and projects must be the original work of the student or teammates. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any questions regarding academic integrity should be brought to the attention of the instructor. The following is the Queensborough Community College Policy on Academic Integrity: "It is the official policy of the College that all acts or attempted acts that are violations of Academic Integrity be reported to the Office of Student Affairs. At the faculty member's discretion and with the concurrence of the student or students involved, some cases though reported to the Office of Student Affairs may be resolved within the confines of the course and department. The instructor has the authority to adjust the offender's grade as deemed appropriate, including assigning an F to the assignment or exercise or, in more serious cases, an F to the student for the entire course." Read the University's policy on Academic Integrity opens in a new window.

Disabilities
Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based upon the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Services in Science Building, Room S-132, 718-631-6257, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. You can visit the Office of Accessibility Services website.