Syllabus: ANT 6469: Medical Anthropology Graduate Seminar
Spring, 2013 – Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies
W 11:00 am – 1:50 pm
Professor: Mark Padilla (marpadi@fiu.edu)
Office: SIPA #320; Tel: 305.348.1296
INTRODUCTION
This interdisciplinary course explores several perspectives in the field of medical
anthropology, beginning with some conceptual foundations of the field, and moving into indepth case studies based on book-length ethnographies from a range of global regions
(Egypt, Ecuador, and a multi-national comparative ethnography). The underlying purpose of
the course is to develop basic understanding of the primary approaches in this evolving field
and how anthropologists have inserted themselves into contemporary conversations on
health and healing.
The course has four modules or units: (1) Medical anthropology: An introduction. This
course will introduce some of the major texts and frameworks for approaching this broad
field, many of which will continue to provide a reference point for conversations throughout
the course; (2) Medical anthropology and reproductive health. This will examine some
critical works in the area of reproductive health, focusing on gender as an analytic frame and
exploring how anthropologists have approached reproductive as a site for ethnographic
interrogation; (3) Medical anthropology and HIV/AIDS. We examine the global AIDS
pandemic and some of the populations considered particularly vulnerable to it. Some of the
key contributions of anthropology to this growing field are examined; (4) Applied Medical
anthropology. We end the course by examining how anthropologists have applied their
perspectives and methodological tools to contribute to global health initiatives,
interventions, or “practice,” broadly defined. This part of the course will also seek to
respond to individual student needs for development in pragmatic or applied dimensions of
this field, including research experience, grant writing, or career development.
REQUIRED TEXTS
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Edmonds, Alexander (2010). Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex, and Plastic Surgery in Brazil.
Duke.
Hirsch and colleagues, The Secret: Love, Marriage, and HIV. Vanderbilt: U. of
Vanderbilt Press (2010).
Elizabeth Roberts, God’s Laboratory: Assisted Reproduction in the Andes. U. California
Press (2012).
Recommended (not required): Anthropology in Public Health (Marcia Inhorn and Robert
Hahn, eds.) (2009). Oxford University Press.
Course Pack
Information on the course readings other than the books will be provided at the beginning
of the course. Electronic versions of the readings will also be available on Blackboard if you
prefer to view and/or print these on your own.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
 Critically engage some major approaches and influential actors in medical
anthropology.
 Understand the basic contributions of anthropological analysis to the study of
disease and healing in cross-cultural contexts and pertaining to a range of health
issues.
 Gain knowledge of how anthropological approaches have been applied to the
development and implementation of effective interventions or “practice” within
public health or the health sciences.
ASSIGNMENTS
This is a course based primarily on course attendance, class participation, and successful
completion of several qualitatively evaluated writing assignments.
Student assessment involves four overall components, in addition to a course participation
grade worth 10%:
1. Weekly précis on the readings (due the day before each class)
Each student will turn in a weekly précis of the assigned reading for that week. It should be
2 pages maximum, and should focus on major themes, brief summaries of overall arguments,
constructive critiques, and questions provoked by the set of readings. The précis
assignments are intended to assist the student in critical reading and to facilitate discussion in
class. To this end, it must be turned into Dr. Padilla via C-Tools by 10:00 pm (latest) the
evening before each class (Tuesday evening each week). Each student will have 2 class
sessions in which they are relieved from turning in a précis (in addition to the last day of
class). Otherwise, a précis must be turned in each week for full credit. Each turned in précis
will be given full credit of 10 points, for a total of 100 points (10 required précis). (20% of
final grade)
2. Short unit papers (due in class the week following the last session for the unit)
Write a 6-8 page paper (no longer), typed and double-spaced, on each of the 4 units of the
course. These should seek to synthesize the key themes in the readings for that unit,
providing illustrations of main points from the assigned pieces and draw out linkages or
contrasts in the pieces considered in the unit. These papers do not require the student to go
beyond the assigned texts; that is, you are only required and will graded on your
consideration of the texts assigned in that unit, and do not need to address readings from
prior units or outside readings. If you wish to make comparisons / contrasts to other
readings to develop your arguments, or to briefly illustrate how the work explored in the unit
applies to your own research or practice, you may do so, but you must address the readings
assigned in the unit as well. Please edit your paper to make sure that it is well-written and
logically constructed. Coverage of the aforementioned elements, as well as clarity of writing,
will be considered in grading. This unit papers are due in hard copy and electronically (via
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email to the professor) at the beginning of the class period in which they are noted in the
syllabus. (4 short unit papers X 15% each = 60% of final grade)
3. Class session student co-facilitation
In-class discussion facilitation: Each student will begin one class session’s discussion of
the class readings by introducing key themes and questions for the group, as a means of
stimulating group discussion (in some sessions, students may be paired with a classmate and
different readings will be emphasized in student remarks). Presentations will be
approximately 10 minutes in length and should be considered informal. In addition, the
assigned student co-facilitator will work with Dr. Padilla to guide the discussion during
his/her assigned session. At the student’s discretion, relevant slides and / or multi-media
(internet or brief film clips) may be incorporated, but are not required. Students are welcome
to contact Dr. Padilla prior to the class if they wish to discuss their approach to session
facilitation prior to their assigned day. Dr. Padilla will attempt to accommodate student
interests in the assignment of specific sessions to students. (10%)
SUMMARY OF
GRADING AREAS: CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%); READING
SHORT UNIT PAPERS (60%); IN-CLASS DISCUSSION FACILITATION (10%).
PRÉCIS (20%);
PLEASE NOTE: All written assignments should include your name and page number in the
upper right corner of each page. For all of the above course requirements, assignments
turned in after the due date will not be accepted, except in the case of prior approval by the
professor for appropriate extenuating circumstances.
Notes on Academic Integrity
The faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs and the Department of Global
and Sociocultural Studies believes that the conduct of a student registered or taking courses
should be consistent with that of a professional person. Courtesy, honesty, and respect
should be shown by students toward faculty members, guests (if relevant), administrative
support staff, and fellow students. Similarly, students should expect faculty to treat them
fairly, showing respect for their ideas and opinions and striving to help them achieve
maximum benefits from their experience in the School.
Student academic misconduct refers to behavior that may include plagiarism, cheating,
fabrication, falsification of records or official documents, intentional misuse of equipment or
materials (including library materials), and aiding and abetting the perpetration of such acts.
The preparation of reports, papers, and examinations, assigned on an individual basis, must represent each
student’s own effort and must not reproduce verbatim previously published material, including from the
internet. Reference sources should be indicated clearly. The use of assistance from other
students or aids of any kind during a written examination, except when the use of aids such
as electronic devices, books or notes has been approved by an instructor, is a violation of the
standard of academic conduct.
Notes on Attendance:
Class attendance in this course and participation during discussions is important. If you are
planning or need to miss significant numbers of sessions, you should rethink taking this
course. If you have a situation that affects your attendance, you must speak to the Professor
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right away to make him aware of this and help you to meet your obligations as you are able.
In short, we are happy to work with you, but you need to keep us informed and treat course
requirements as obligations. Please note: we will track attendance for our own
purposes and reserve the right to take this into consideration in end-of-semester
grades if there is a significant and consistent attendance problem that has not been
justified by the student.
Reading list and assignment calendar
1/9: Introduction to Course Themes and Logistics
Unit 1: Medical anthropology: An introduction
1/16: What is medical anthropology?
o Brown, Peter J., Ronald L. Barrett, and Mark B. Padilla. 1998 Medical
anthropology: an introduction to the fields. In Understanding and Applying
Medical Anthropology. Pp. 10-19: Mountain View: Mayfield.
o Baer, Hans A., Singer, Merrill, and Susser, Ida (1997), Medical Anthropology and the
World System: A Critical Perspective (Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey). Chapters 1
and 2.
1/23: Key concepts
o “Introduction: What is Growing? Who is Dying?”, in Kim JY, Millen JV, Irwin
A, and Gershman J (eds.). 2000. Dying for Growth: Global Inequality and the Health of
the Poor. Monroe: Common Courage, pp. 3-10.
o Scheper-Hughes and Lock, “The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future
Work in Medical Anthropology.”
o Paul Farmer, “On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View from Below”
Daedalus, Vol. 125, No. 1, Social Suffering (Winter, 1996), pp. 261-283.
1/30: Global health and medical anthropology / Public health as culture
o Hahn, Robert. “Introduction” in Anthropology in Public Health. Oxford: U. of
Oxford Press.
o Foster, George. “Bureaucratic Aspects of International Health Programs.” In
Anthropology in Public Health. Oxford: U. of Oxford Press.
o Justice, Judith (1987), “The Bureaucratic Context of International Health: A
Social Scientist's View”, Social Science and Medicine, 25: 1301-06.
o Cecil Helman. Medical Anthropology & Global Health. Chapter 13 in Culture,
Health and Illness, 4th ed.
Unit 2: Medical anthropology and reproductive health
2/6: Key texts on reproductive health (Process note: Unit 1 paper due today)
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o Browner, Carole and Carolyn Sargent (1996). Chapter 11: "Anthropology and
Studies of Human Reproduction." In Medical Anthropology: Contemporary Theory and
Method. New York: Praeger.
o Lane, S. D. (1994), 'From population control to reproductive health: an emerging
policy agenda', Social Science and Medicine, 39 (9), 1303-14.
o Dudgeon, M.R., and M. Inhorn. (2004) "Men’s Influences on Women’s
Reproductive Health: Medical Anthropological Perspectives." Social Science &
Medicine, 59(7): 1379-1395.
o Gutmann, Matthew. (2005) “Scoring Men: Vasectomies and the Totemic
Illusion of Male Sexuality in Oaxaca.” Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry 29(1).
2/13: Elizabeth Roberts, God’s Laboratory (possible guest lecturer – Elizabeth Roberts – via skype)
2/20: Alexander Edmonds, Pretty Modern (possible guest lecturer – Alexander Edmonds – via skype)
Unit 3: Medical anthropology and HIV/AIDS
2/27: Key texts on HIV/AIDS (Unit 2 paper due today)
o Merrill Singer, Pamela Erickson, et al. Syndemics, Sex and the City: Understanding
Sexually Transmitted Disease in Social and Cultural Context. Social Science and Medicine.
63(8):2010-2021, 2006
o Farmer P. 1996 Women, Poverty, and AIDS. In Farmer P, Connors M, and
Simmons J (eds.) Women, Poverty, and AIDS. Monroe, ME: Common Courage
Press, pp. 3-38.
o Parker, R., & Aggleton, P. (2003). HIV and AIDS-related stigma and
discrimination: A conceptual framework and implications for action. Social Science
& Medicine, 57(1), 13-24.
3/6: Hirsch and colleagues, The Secret (first half). Vanderbilt: U. of Vanderbilt Press. (possible
guest lecturer – Jennifer Hirsch – via skype)
3/13 (Spring Break – no class)
3/20: Hirsch and colleagues, The Secret (second half). Vanderbilt: U. of Vanderbilt Press.
(possible guest lecturer – Jennifer Hirsch – via skype)
Unit 4: Applied Medical anthropology
3/27: Key definitions and examples of applied medical anthropology (Unit 3 paper due)
o Barbara Rylko-Bauer, Merrill Singer, and John van Willigin. Reclaiming Applied
Anthropology: Its Past, Present, and Future. American Anthropologist 108(1):178-190,
2006.
o Singer and colleagues. “From Street Research to Public Health Intervention: The
Hartford Drug Monitoring Program.” (Chapter 12 in Hahn volume)
o Padilla, Mark, et al. “Examining the Policy Climate for HIV Prevention in the
Caribbean Tourism Sector: A Qualitative Study of Policy Makers in the
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Dominican Republic.” Health Policy and Planning. doi:10.1093/heapol/czr021.
o Chapter 6 of Padilla’s Caribbean Pleasure Industry: Tourism, Sexuality, and
AIDS in the Dominican Republic. (2007). Chicago: U. of Chicago Press.
4/10: Understanding how communities receive or interact with interventions (possible guest
lecturer – Elisha Renne – via skype)
o Van Hollen, C. (2011). “Breast or Bottle?” Medical Anthropology Quarterly.
o Biehl, Joao (2009). “The Brazilian Response to AIDS and the
Pharmaceuticalization of Global Health.” (in Hahn, Ch. 17)
o Renne, E. (2010) “Anthropological and Public Health Perspectives on Global
Polio Eradication Initiative in Northern Nigeria” (In Hahn, Ch. 18)
4/17: Final discussion on lessons learned, trajectories of our respective research, and
ongoing questions (no reading required; structure of this session to be determined by
discussion amongst the seminar participants)
4/24: No class. No précis due today. (Unit 4 paper due today)
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