Module Specification
An online version of this specification is available to prospective students at
www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/msc_module_handbook/section3_moduledescript/modules.html
GENERAL INFORMATION
Module name
Medical Anthropology and Public Health
Module code
1802
Module Organisers
Dr Clare Chandler and Dr Shelley Lees
Contact email
Clare.Chandler@lshtm.ac.uk or Shelley.Lees@lshtm.ac.uk
Home Faculty
Faculty of Public Health & Policy
Level
This module is at Level 7 (postgraduate Masters ‘M’ level) of the QAA
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales & Northern
Ireland (FHEQ).
Credit
LSHTM award 15 credits on successful completion of this module.
Accreditation
Not currently accredited by any other body.
Keywords
Anthropology; Sociology (incl. socio-cultural aspects); Behavioural aspects (in
general); Qualitative methods
AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND AUDIENCE
Overall aim
To provide an introduction to concepts, perspectives, theories and methods in
medical anthropology, and illustrate their relevance to public health issues.
Intended learning
outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:




Target audience
Demonstrate an analytical understanding of a range of concepts, principles
and definitions used in medical and social anthropology;
Apply these concepts and principles in the analysis of particular public
health issues;
Evaluate the role of anthropological inquiry and analysis in public health
arenas;
Critically evaluate, from an anthropological perspective, epidemiological,
medical and public health approaches.
Any MSc student regardless of specialisation and previous training.
CONTENT
Session content
The module is expected to include sessions addressing the following topics
(though please note that these may be subject to change):

The way anthropologists have problematized public health and have
responded to public health issues;
1

Anthropological conceptualisations of health, medicine and public health,
including those around illness and disease, personhood, risk, structural
violence, medicalization, citizenship, research participation and bioethics;

Introduction to anthropological methodologies and how to apply these to
issues in public health.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
Study resources
provided or required
Textbook and collection of complementing readings (articles) for each lecture.
Teaching and learning
methods
The course is delivered through lectures (10 contact hours), seminars (13.5
contact hours), one session “doing ethnography” (2 hours) two film and
discussion sessions (5 hours)’two ‘conversations with anthropologists’
sessions (3.0 hours) and one debate (2 hours). The module has a textbook
(Pool, R. and Geissler, W., 2005, Medical Anthropology, Open University Press)
which students are recommended to purchase. Students are required to read
the relevant chapters of the module textbook prior to the lectures and
seminars. Other essential references (1-2 per lecture topic) are provided in a
course reader. A library box for the course contains additional references and
students are encouraged to consult the library for further readings listed for
those interested in the topic.
Lectures: The lectures will build on key concepts and debates introduced in the
module textbook (Pool and Geissler 2005), illustrating their relevance and
application through examples from anthropological research in the fields of
public health and medicine.
Seminars: The seminars encourage discussion around the issues raised in the
lecture and associated readings. Some entail practical exercises, where
students will work with other resources that highlight central themes from the
lectures and readings.
Assessment details
The module will be assessed through a take home essay-based assignment
(100%) to be submitted at the end of the module. For the assignment, students
are required to write an essay (2,500 words) on a subject chosen from a range
of questions based on the topics covered in the course.
In the case of a re-sit, the student will be asked to complete an essay on a
different topic to that completed originally. The student will be given 3 weeks
to complete the essay.
Assessment dates
Assessment tasks will be distributed three weeks before the last day of the
module for submission on 24 March 2016.
For students who are required to re-sit, or granted a deferral or new attempt,
the next assessment deadline will be the standard School-recommended date in
mid/late September 2016.
Language of study and
assessment
English (please see ‘English language requirements’ below regarding the
standard required for entry).
TIMING AND MODE OF STUDY
Duration
The module runs for 5 weeks at 2.5 days per week; this module runs between
Monday morning and Wednesday lunchtime.
2
Dates
For 2015-16, the module will start on Monday 22 February 2016 and finish on
Wednesday 23 March 2016.
Timetable slot
The module runs in LSHTM timetable slot D1.
Mode of Study
The module is taught face-to-face in London. Both full-time and part-time
students follow the same schedule. For full-time students, other LSHTM
modules are available in the other half of the week for the C and D slots.
Learning time
The notional learning time for the module totals 150 hours, consisting of:

Contact time ≈ 36 hours

Directed self-study ≈ 38 hours

Self-directed learning ≈ 31 hours

Assessment, review and revision ≈ 45 hours.
APPLICATION, ADMISSION AND FEES
Pre-requisites
None.
English language
requirements
A strong command of the English language is necessary to benefit from
studying the module. Applicants whose first language is not English or whose
prior university studies have not been conducted wholly in English must fulfil
LSHTM’s English language requirements, with an acceptable score in an
approved test taken in the two years prior to entry. Applicants may be asked to
take a test even if the standard conditions have been met.
Student numbers
Student numbers are typically 30-50 per year; numbers may be capped due to
limitations in facilities or staffing.
Student selection
Preference will be given to LSHTM MSc students and LSHTM research degree
students. Other applicants meeting the entry criteria will usually be offered a
place in the order applications are received, until any cap on numbers is
reached. Applicants may be placed on a waiting list and given priority the next
time the module is run.
Full Registration (full participation) by LSHTM research degree students is
required for this module, although the assessment for research degrees
students is optional.
Fees
For registered LSHTM MSc students, fees for the module are included within
MSc fees (given on individual course prospectus pages).
If registering specifically for this module, as a stand-alone short course,
individual module fees will apply.
Tuition fees must be paid in full before commencing the module, or by any fee
deadline set by the Registry.
Scholarships
Scholarships are not available for individual modules. Some potential sources
of funding are detailed on the LSHTM website.
3
Admission deadlines
For 2015-16:

For registered LSHTM MSc students, the module choice deadline (for Term
2 and 3 modules) is Friday 20 November 2015.

If registering specifically for this module, applications may be made at any
time but, as places are limited, applications ahead of the MSc deadline are
strongly advised. All applications should be submitted at the latest 8 weeks
prior to the start of the module. Formal registration will take place on the
morning of the first day of the module.
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
This module specification applies for the academic year 2014-15
Last revised 18 June 2014 by Clare Chandler and Shelley Lees
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London WC1E 7HT.
www.lshtm.ac.uk
4