ASS206 - Medical Anthropology
Unit details
| Year: | 2024 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)* |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: David Giles |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | ASS306 |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend-150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour lecture per week, 1 x 1-hour seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour lecture per week (recordings provided), 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week |
Note:*Community Based Delivery (CBD) is for National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute students only. | |
Content
The study of human knowledge systems in the area of health and illness lies at the heart of anthropology as a whole. Medical anthropology is thus pivotal to the discipline and is also a major point of articulation between anthropology and other sciences. In this unit, students will learn key concepts and approaches in medical anthropology through the study of a spectrum of traditions of healing and embodiment, as well as the study of western medicine, or biomedicine, as a distinctive cultural system. Through detailed case studies of different medical phenomena and how humans act in relation to them, students will examine health and healing from a cross-cultural, “biosocial” perspective. Fundamental concepts such as the division between mind and body, the social construction of disease, culture-bound syndromes, and structural violence will be examined. Special emphasis is given to the relationship between health, disease, systems of power, and disparities in wealth and resources.
| ULO | These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Interrogate familiar norms and practices dealing with sickness, well-being, and the body | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Articulate a range of cultural traditions of healing and embodiment | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Identify relationships among systems of power, knowledge, and inequality—particularly with regard to access to health and care | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO4 | Critically analyse complex texts, develop an argument, and communicate it effectively | GLO2: Communication GLO3: Digital literacy |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1 - Seminar/ Online exercises | 800 words or equivalent | 20% | Ongoing |
| Assessment 2 - Quizzes | 600 words or equivalent | 15% | Weeks 5, 8 and 11 |
| Assessment 3 (Group) - Group project | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Week 6 |
| Assessment 4 - Essay | 1600 words or equivalent | 40% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning Resource
The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link ASS206
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
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