HE 4901 - Medical Anthropology

(CU-CEL, CU-SBY, CU-UGR)

Fall, spring. 5 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: acceptance to New York City Urban Semester required. Offered in New York City.

S. Beck.

This course explores ethnographic methods, an experiential methodology, as these are used in anthropological research with the idea of “improving the human condition.” Particular attention is paid on health and medical disparities and their resolution. Students are exposed to ethnographic methods and research from historical, philosophical and ethical perspectives as tools for experiential learning. We explore the contradictions inherent in fieldwork, such as participant observation and cultural relativism in producing experiential learning knowledge.