Medical Anthropology, advanced course
Course content
How does technology change the ways in which we live, age, and die with our bodies? How do different technologies shape what it means to be a human? What kinds of facts and imaginaries of life are produced around technologies? And, how are existing inequalities and injustices embedded in and/or challenged by these new technologies of living? In this course, we will examine changing contours of human life including the experiences of health and illness and conceptions of life and death in relation to the development, production, and use of new or emerging technology. Moreover looking into the entanglement of biomedical knowledge, policy and technology in everyday life, we will explore how life itself is made into an object of technological intervention. We will furthermore explore how this process, rather than simply offering solutions to given problems, also might reshape our bodily experiences of and relations with the world while engendering novel ethical and cultural problems for us to deal with. In this course we will engage in extensive reading, contemplation and discussion of literature in and around medical anthropology and Science and Technology. The format, with teacher introductions, interactive class activities, oral and written assignments will require students active participation.
The aim of the course is to develop students’ knowledge of the sub-field of medical anthropology to help prepare for a health-related Masters thesis.
Skills
- be able to identify a relevant anthropological research problem
related to medical anthropology
- be able to locate and analyze empirical material by applying
analytical perspectives from the course literature (using
anthropological concepts and theories) in order to make an
anthropological argument
-be able to write a well-structured essay on a chosen field/case
drawing on the literature from anthropology and other related
disciplines
Knowledge
-be able to demonstrate how biomedical knowledge and technology are
shaped in specific sociocultural and politico-economic contexts and
further reshape our experiences of health and illness
Competences
-be able to utilize concepts and methods of medical anthropology
and Science and Technology Studies in analyzing a concrete,
empirical case
The course will be based on a combination of lectures and interactive seminars where students contribute actively through group work, discussions, readings and oral and written presentations.
BSc students and MSc students: 500 pages obligatory literature.
The teacher will publish 200-300 pages of supplementary literature.
Course literature will be available through Absalon.
The course serves as a part of the specialised track in the Anthropology of Health.
International- and credit students; read about application here: International students/Credit students
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Portfolio, .
- Type of assessment details
- Length: Portfolio exam can be written individually or in groups of Max. 4 students. Portfolio exams consist of 2-7 submissions. For MA students, there is a submission more than for BA students, i.e. if the BA student has to submit five submissions, the MA students must submit six submissions. The number of submissions is set by the lecturer. The total length of all of the submissions must be max. 30,000 keystrokes for one student. For groups of two students, Max. 40,000 keystrokes. For groups of three students, Max. 45,000 keystrokes and for groups of four students, Max. 50,000 keystrokes. In the case of group assignments, the contribution of each individual student must be clearly marked in the assignment. For groups with both BA and MA students, the same number of submissions is required as for MA students. The assignments are assessed jointly with a single grade.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Criteria for exam assessment
See learning outcome
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 42
- Preparation
- 100
- Exam
- 64
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- AANA18106U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Bachelor
Bachelor choiceFull Degree Master choice
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedulegroup
-
See timetable
- Studyboard
- Department of Anthropology, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Anthropology
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinator
- Ayo Wahlberg (12-667e74337c666d71676a776c456673796d777433707a336970)
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Courseinformation of students