Anthropology and Risk
Spring 2012
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Syllabus
Anthropology and Risk
Frances K. Barg, PhD
141-2 Anatomy and Chemistry Building
3620 Hamilton Walk
Office hours by appointment
Telephone: 215-746-1830
Email: bargf@uphs.upenn.edu
Class meets
Tuesdays, 1:30-4:30
Course overview
In this course, we will examine the construct of RISK as a way to understand three types
of relationships between anthropology and public health. Anthropology and public health
will examine complementary and competing concepts fundamental to each discipline and
ways that these concepts make it essential and difficult for the disciplines to work
together. Anthropology on public health takes a critical look at assumptions in public
health praxis. Anthropology in public health will focus on ways that anthropology theory
and methods inform the practice of public health. Using these three approaches, we will
examine topics in public health such as mental health, health promotion/disease
prevention communication, cancer disparities, reproductive health, violence and
infectious disease. Students will learn and apply anthropologic research methods to these
problems.
Pre-requisites
Public Health students are required to take PUBH 502, Introduction to Principles of
Epidemiology
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Describe conceptual differences and similarities between anthropology and public
health
2. Describe differences and similarities in research methods in anthropology and public
health
3. Apply an anthropologic conceptual framework to a common public health problem
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of ethical and rigorous fieldwork.
5. Demonstrate the ability to design a study addressing a public health issue using
anthropologic theory and methods
Required books:
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Anthropology and Risk
Spring 2012
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Javier Auyero and Debora Alejandra Swistun, Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an
Argentine Shantytown, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009.
Elaine Scarry, (2011) Thinking in an Emergency, WW Norton Press, New York.
James A. Trostle (2005) Epidemiology and Culture, Cambridge University Press, New
York.
H. Russell Bernard, Gery W. Ryan, (2010) Analyzing Qualitative Data: Systematic
Approaches, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Robert A. Hahn, Marcia C. Inhorn, eds (2009) Anthropology and Public Health: Bridging
Differences in Culture and Society, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Course readings: Other required readings will be posted on the course Blackboard site.
These readings are denoted with an asterisk*
Teaching methods:
The course will be held in seminar style. Each class will have both a topical and research
focus. There will be a didactic component to most sessions. Students will also participate
in guided fieldwork outside of class. Students will separate into smaller interest groups
based upon similar interests (e.g. cancer disparities, mental health, violence) to discuss
readings and to process field work experiences. We will identify interest groups together
during the first week of class. Students will meet weekly in smaller interest groups to
discuss readings and to process field work experiences.
Evaluation:
(1) Research proposal Students will write a research proposal on a topic of interest in
public health that utilizes a conceptual approach described during the course and
that incorporates qualitative or mixed methods. Beginning in week three, students
will pick a research topic and will develop sections of the proposal. The research
proposal will be due on MAY 3, 2012. It should be a maximum of 20 single
spaced pages. During the last four weeks of class, students will present their
proposal ideas and “workshop” their ideas with the class. 50% of grade
(2) Research process notes Students will be given field work assignments in class that
will need to be completed by the following class. Depending upon the assignment,
students will be required to submit field notes or written summaries of their
experience. These notes or summaries will be collected at each class. As these are
learning tools, they will not be graded for content, but they will be evaluated as to
whether they are complete and comprehensive. 20% of grade
(3) Participation The value of this class will depend upon the active engagement of
all students. This means that you will be required to complete all readings prior to
class, attend all classes, and participate vigorously in class and small group
discussion. 30% of grade
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Week one
January 17. 2012
Introduction to Anthropology and Public Health
Develop smaller interest groups
Part one
Anthropology and Public Health
The first part of the course focuses on similarities and differences in the way that
anthropologists and public health specialists approach health problems.
Week two
January 24, 2012
Topics
Conceptual approaches in anthropology
and public health.
Methods
Fundamentals of research in medical
anthropology
Fitting research into the different
paradigms
Qualitative and mixed methods study
designs
Conceptual and methodological toolkits
Hahn, Introduction and Ch 10, Trostle, Ch 1,2
Receive participant observation assignment
Week three
January 31, 2012
Topics
Ambler, PA as a case study
Ethics in social science research
Methods
Participant observation
Writing fieldnotes
Hahn Ch 4, 8, 12
Blackboard readings:
*Emerson, Fretz, Shaw ch 1,2,3,4
Assignment: participant observation assignment
Pick a research topic
Part two
Anthropology on Public Health
This section of the course will cover ways that anthropology and other social sciences
have provided a critique of concepts in the practice of public health
Week four
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February 7, 2012
Topics
Unpacking the risk concept
Methods
Sampling in qualitative research
Producing trustworthy data
Trostle, Ch 7 and Bernard Ch 17
Blackboard readings:
*Tulloch and Lupton, (Tulloch 2002) Risk is part of your life: Risk epistemologies
among a Group of Australians
*MV Hayes, (Hayes 1992)On the epistemology of risk: Language, logic and social
science.
*JA Skolbekkan (Skolbekkan 1995)The risk epidemic in medical journals
Assignment: Specific aims and sample
Week five
February 14, 2012
Topics
Critical Public Health
Methods
Data collection strategies
Focus groups
Bernard, Ch 2
Blackboard readings:
*A Lakoff, (Lakoff 2008), The generic biothreat, or how we became unprepared
*R Aronowitz (Aronowitz 2008), Framing disease: An underappreciated mechanism for
the social patterning of health.
*Crossley, (Crossley 2002)Could you pass me one of those health leaflets along?
Assignment: Interviews
Week six
February 21, 2012
Topics
Environmental risk
Methods
“Learning how to ask”
Flammable, Auyero and Swistun
Assignment: Interview data
Part three
Anthropology in Public Health
The final part of the course addresses ways that anthropology can be applied to public
health topics.
Week seven
February 28, 2012
Topics
Critical public health
Methods
Data management
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Hahn and Inhorn, ch 20, 22,
Bernard, Ch 5
Week eight
March 13, 2012
Topics
Anthropology and Mental health
Methods
Qualitative software
Qualitative data analysis
Hahn and Inhorn chapter 8
Blackboard readings:
*Barg, et al. Understanding loneliness (Barg, Huss-Ashmore et al. 2006)
*Bonander, 2000 (Bonander, Kohn et al. 2000)
Week nine
March 20, 2012
Topics
Methods
Cultural models and health
Cultural consensus analysis
Cultural issues in measurement and bias
Blackboard readings:
*Chavez et al. Structure and meaning in models of breast and cervical cancer risk factors:
A comparison among Latinas, Anglo women, and physicians. (Chavez, Hubbell et al.
1995)
*Barg and Grier, Enhancing communication about breast cancer: A cultural models
approach (Barg and Grier 2008)
*Switzer et al, Pull yourself up by your bootstraps: a response to depression in older
adults (Switzer, Wittink et al. 2006)
Trostle, Chapter 4, 6
Week ten
March 27, 2012
Topics
Thinking in an emergency
Methods
Publishing qualitative and mixed methods
research
Writing grant proposals for qualitative and
mixed methods research
Scarry: Thinking in an Emergency
Blackboard readings:
*Singer, Syndemics and public health: Reconceptualizing disease in a biosocial context
(Singer and Clair 2003)
Week eleven
April 3, 2012
Research proposal presentations
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Week twelve
April 10, 2012
Research proposal presentations
Week thirteen
April 17, 2012
Research proposal presentations
Week fourteen
April 24, 2012
Research proposal presentations
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Spring 2012
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Blackboard readings
Aronowitz, R. (2008). "Framing disease: an underappreciated mechanism for the social
patterning of health." Soc Sci Med 67(1): 1-9.
Badland, H. et al. (2009). "Understanding the Relationship between Activity and
Neighbourhoods (URBAN) Study: Research Designs and Methodology. BMC
Public Health 9: 224.
Barg, F. K. and S. A. Grier (2008). "Enhancing communication about breast cancer: A
cultural models approach." International Journal of Research in Marketing.
Barg, F. K., R. Huss-Ashmore, et al. (2006). "A mixed methods approach to understand
loneliness and depression in older adults." Journal of Gerontology: Social
Sciences 61B(6): S329-S339.
Bonander, J., R. Kohn, et al. (2000). "An anthropological and epidemiological overview
of mental health in Belize." Transcultural Psychiatry 37(1): 57-72.
Bourgois, P., A. Martinez, et al. (2006). "Reinterpreting ethnic patterns among white and
African American men who inject heroin: a social science of medicine approach."
PLoS Med 3(10): e452.
Chavez, L. R., F. A. Hubbell, et al. (1995). "Structure and meaning in models of breast
and cervical cancer risk factors: A comparison of perceptions among latinas,
anglo women, and physicians." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 9(1): 40-74.
Crossley, M. L. (2002). "Could you please pass one of those health leaflets along?
Exploring health, morality resistance through focus groups." Social Science and
Medicine 55.
Guest, G., A. Bunce, et al. (2006). "How many interviews are enough? An experiment
with data saturation and variability." Field Methods 18(1): 59-82.
Hayes, M. V. (1992). "On the epistemology of risk: Language, logic and social science."
Social Science in Medicine 35(4): 401-407.
Lakoff, A. (2008). "The generic biothreat, or, how we became unprepared." Cultural
Anthropology 23(3): 399-428.
Miller, K.E. and A. Rasmussen. (2010). "War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health
in conflict and post-conflict settings: Bridging the divide between trauma-focused
and psychosocial frameworks." Soc Sci and Med 70: 7-16.
Sayer, N.A. et al. (2009). "A qualitative study of determinants of PTSD treatment
initiation in Veterans. Psychiatry 72 (3): 238.
Singer, M. and S. Clair (2003). "Syndemics and public health: Reconceptualizing disease
in bio-social context." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 17(4): 423-441.
Skolbekkan, J. A. (1995). "The risk epidemic in medical journals." Social Science and
Medicine 40(3): 291-305.
Switzer, J. F., M. N. Wittink, et al. (2006). ""Pull yourself up by your bootstraps": a
response to depression in older adults." Qual Health Res 16(9): 1207-16.
True, G. et al. (2010). "Perspectives of persons with aphasia towards SentenceShaper To
Go: A qualitative study." Aphasiology 24(9): 1032-1050.
Tulloch, D. L. a. J. (2002). "Risk is part of your life: Risk epistemologies among a group
of Australians." Sociology 36: 317-334.
Wang, C.C. et al. (2004). "Flint Photovoice: Community building among youths, adults,
and policymakers. Am J Pub Health 94(6): 911.
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