ANTH 508: Medical Anthropology
Sch# 20158 – FALL 2015 - Tu/Th 9:30-10:45 (EBA-249)
Dr. EJ Sobo (esobo@mail.sdsu.edu)
Office Location: AL 411
Office Hours: W 10-11 am, and by appointment.
This is an advanced course, and so my expectations and standards are high. You
cannot enroll unless you have already taken ANTH 303 and you have done well in
that course. You will need to be self-motivated, engaged, well-prepared for every
class session, a ‘team player,’ and able to undertake off-campus data collection.
http://www.vodoun.com/sobo_v.htm
Sobo & Bade
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Saints Cosmas and Damian
This syllabus is intended to guide us through the semester. Circumstances can
change, however, and I will change the syllabus as needed to ensure that you
can meet the course’s learning objectives. You will receive full and fair
notification regarding any such changes.
Overview
In this course, we examine the sociocultural ecology of disease, investigate
medical/health beliefs and practices in cultural context, and explore the
complexities of health care delivery today. While considering various definitions
of ‘health’ and ‘medicine’, we discover how people get sick as well as how they
get well—and stay well (or not)—in various contexts and under various local and
global constraints. We also examine some of the ramifications that our
embodied existence has for social experience. A key take-home lesson is that
modern or mainstream biomedicine is far from culture-free.
ANTH 508 counts toward the ‘methods’ requirement for both
undergraduates and graduate students so methodological questions also are at
the forefront of our course work. Your project work will require a field component.
Students also should note that mainstream medical anthropology (e.g., as
represented by the Society for Medical Anthropology) is largely sociocultural in
orientation. My own standpoint, for example, stems from early training in British
social anthropology and post-doctoral induction into both applied anthropology
and the school of critical medical anthropology, which combines interpretivism
with a keen appreciation of the political economy of health. I have worked directly
in healthcare (e.g., for the VA, for RCHSD) as well as in academia and this colors
my perspective.
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Learning Outcome Objectives (Summary Study Guide)
Upon completion of this course, students should have developed (and been able
to demonstrate, through test scores, participation in in-class discussion and
debate, and the semester project) the abilities to:

Describe the history and present scope of medical anthropology and depict its
relationship to other sub-fields of anthropology

Explain and exemplify basic principles and concepts of medical anthropology,
including
o Disease vs. illness (including in regard to Culture Bound Syndromes)
o Health-seeking & patterns of resort
o Varieties of medical ‘systems’ (including pluralistic, syncretic; diffusing,
accumulating)
o Explanatory models & cross-culturally common etiological factors (both
naturalistic and personalistic)
o Medicalization & authoritative knowledge
o Cultural competence
o Structural violence & syndemics
o Embodiment & subjectivity

Define, compare and contrast, and apply the main paradigms used by
medical anthropologists when conducting research, including:
o Descriptive (traditionally ethnographic, often structural functional)
o Applied; Clinically applied
o Symbolic / Interpretive (meaning-centered; constructivism included)
o Critical (Interpretive + Political Economy)
o Systems perspective

Explain, and in selected cases ethically apply, research methods, including:
o Observations (participant observation, structured observations, field
note making)
o Questionnaires/surveys
o Interviews (focus group or group interviews & individual interviews,
including ‘five minute method’ & ‘freelist’ techniques)
o Theme identification / content analysis & conceptual model building
(including ‘grounded theory’ building)
o Sample characterization, using descriptive statistics

Review and critically assess scholarly research publications in medical
anthropology using principles and concepts listed above

Illustrate what the anthropological perspective brings to the study of health &
healing/medicine that other disciplinary perspectives lack.
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Required Readings
A variety of required material has been and will be posted online for you, in our
Blackboard website. There also are four (4) required books in this course. The
books (available at SDSU’s bookstore) are:
1. Sobo, EJ (2009). Culture and Meaning in Health Services Research: A
Practical Field Guide. LeftCoast Press. [Amazon price: $27.87]
2. Fadiman, Anne (1998/2012). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. [Amazon price (current edition): $12.04; note
that the original edition is fine too]
3. Kidder, Tracy (2004/2009). Mountains Beyond Mountains. New York:
Random House. [Amazon price (current edition): $13.50; note that the
2004 version is fine also if you can find it]
4. Leach, M, and J. Fairhead (2007). Vaccine Anxieties: Global Science,
Child Health and Society. Routledge/Earthscan. [Amazon price: $36.26]
The first book listed above is like a textbook. The next two are journalistic
accounts (i.e., quick reads). The Spirit Catches You addresses the foreign nature
of our own healthcare system with a focus on ‘culture’; Mountains examines
‘global health’ from a political economy perspective. The last book listed is a
scholarly ethnological work regarding a currently controversial topic that has local
and global relevance; this book ties together many themes of the course.
Additional reading. It is highly suggested that graduate students or
undergraduates intending to apply to graduate school in the social sciences read
the following brief text. Copies are available at the bookstore.

Konopinski, N. (2014). Doing Anthropological Research: A Practical
Guide. Routledge. [Amazon price (new): $33.20].
Assessment / Grading
Summary of Deliverables. This is a 500-level course and, as such, a high level of
commitment is expected. To demonstrate your command of course materials
and related competencies, you will:
 40% - Take an active contributing role in your project. This includes: data
collection and analysis participation (15%); a group product (e.g.,
brochure) and presentation (15%); and an individual project report (10%).
 45% - Complete three (3) Section Tests or examinations (15% each)
 15% - Exhibit high-quality, substantive participation in our on-line and inclass activities and discussions (which demands ample preparation of
course)
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Note that despite the compartmentalization of percentages above, your fine
performance in one arena depends on and supports your fine performance in the
others.
Major due dates. Major due dates are shown in the table below. (If you cannot
come to campus on these dates, you should drop the course.)
Deliverable
Participation
Project work
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Project Product
Project Presentation
Project Report (c.2,000 words)
Total
Final exam timeslot
Date
ongoing
various
Sept. 22
Oct. 20
Dec 1
Dec 8
Dec 8 & 10
Dec 13 (Sun)
Thursday Dec.
17, 8-10 am
Percent of Final Grade
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
(subsumed in presentation)
15%
10%
100%
Reserve this time -- we may
need it!
Details - Course Project. This course counts as a ‘methods’ course because it
provides ethics instruction and lessons on various data collection and analysis
techniques. You will actually give some methods a try in your practice research
project. Secondary to the immediate objective of trying some methods ‘for reals’,
through mistakes and frustrations you will gain some understanding of the
complexities of the research process. You also will develop some of the skills
(social, analytic, logistic, and other) necessary to turn a research idea into an onthe-ground reality—and, we hope, one that might make a difference to human
health and well-being. Finally, through the oral group presentation (and
associated product of the research, such as a brochure) and via an individual
written report, you will be working on your communication skills.
Whatever you choose, you will need to come to insights that can be leveraged to
promote change for the better. Conventionally, this has been done by altering
educational messages to seem more ‘culturally relevant’ to a target group. So
you may create an educational brochure. Or you could apply anthropological
insights to the root of a problem, hijacking messages promoting risky behaviors
to begin with (e.g., cigarette ads), or using satire to raise awareness. What you
choose to do (i.e., your ‘product’) is up to you and your research team-mates (the
project does require group work: see the Project Instructions document).
All students will collect project data. You should expect to spend a minimum of 8
hours ‘in the field’ over the course of several weeks. You should also expect
frustration: Learning to do research is as much about learning to be patient and
flexible as it is about learning various techniques. Another thing to expect is that
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you will spend time outside of the classroom with your project team-mates for
planning and analytic purposes, and as you prepare your product and
presentation. The report you submit at the end, however, will be individually
written, representing your original thinking regarding the project and, specifically,
the methodological lessons learned.
Details - Participation. The class demands engagement, both in class and
online. Regarding the latter, now and then we have online activities required,
such as participation in a discussion board forum. These are mostly indicated in
your lesson by lesson schedule (but see below regarding student-generated
discussion board questions).
Participating in an informed manner in class, for instance via discussions, can
make the difference between a B and an A. To do well here, you will need to
have read/viewed and thought critically about all of the assigned materials before
coming to class.
To help you to remember to do so, you are required to come to each class
meeting with a list of at least 3-5 key points or themes from the readings and a
thoughtful discussion question (i.e., one meant to stimulate discussion amongst
your peers) regarding the topic at hand.
The list and question prompt will be printed on one side of one page
(see example). I will collect these at the end of class. They will
therefore also document attendance. Please put the first letter of
your last name in the upper right-hand corner—please make it 1-2
inches tall—to facilitate record keeping.
My Name
S
KEY POINTS
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As;dlfkjadsflj
Asldfkj;sdfkjdas
A;sldkfdj;sflksj
QUESTION/S:
Asdlfkjad;slfkjas;flkjs;df
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I will call on a few students each time we meet to first summarize key points of
the reading and then start up our class discussion. I will do so using a random,
lottery system. I will therefore not have pre-checked your work for quality—and
you will be embarrassed if you have not made ample effort. You should always
be prepared to take the spotlight. Please also note that I may provide your lists
back to you at the beginning of any in-class exam work so, even if for that reason
alone, it will be worth your effort to prepare them thoughtfully.
Each discussion question should reflect deep thinking about the material—the
kind of thinking we all should be doing when we tackle required course material
(a prompt should not concern something you do not understand). The prompts
should come out of the ‘ah ha’ moments you have when truly engaged with your
lessons. They should, for instance, require your peers to dig back into the
material for examples and ideas that illuminate an answer. Prompts may help us
to make links between the material at hand and prior readings. They may help us
to extend what we are learning to our own lives (but not narcissistically!).
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When framing a prompt, be ready to first provide your own ideas or efforts to
answer to the class. You will do so in a way that opens up rather than shuts
down conversation. To this end, you will not be asking yes/no questions. Some
angles to consider are: the logic of the argument, the methods, the particular
question’s broader relevance, the work’s contribution to medical anthropology,
implicit agendas, unacknowledged assumptions, etc.
When you supply the in-class discussion question, you will post that question, or
a refined version thereof, to the DB area so that the conversation can continue
after class. Each student is, as part of their participation grade, required to post
to at least 6 such question forums at a pace of 2 posts (minimum) per Section of
the course (there are 3 Sections).
Details – Examinations. Because this is a 500-level course, your ability to write a
coherent and compelling essay that addresses a set problem or question and
demonstrates your command of our vocabulary and ability to define and use
concepts will be examined at scheduled intervals. Your week-by-week schedule
and the ‘learning outcome objectives’ outlined at the front of this syllabus are
excellent study guides, because they itemize the topics that we will cover. To aid
in more focused preparation, a short list of potential questions (essay prompts)
will be provided prior to each examination.
Make up work. Make-up exams are not an option without a signed doctor’s note
(or equivalent official proof of legitimate rescheduling needs). Except in the
direst of circumstances (e.g., if you fall into a coma), you must request a makeup within 48 hours of the missed exam, or the right to a make-up is forfeited,
despite whatever documentation you may provide.
In-class activities cannot be made up and you cannot turn in a key points papers
late. However, due to expected contingencies such as illness, one missing key
points paper (one absence) will be allowed without penalty.
Grading queries. Grades are carefully determined and checked prior to being
entered in the record. I take assessment of student performance very seriously
and would rather we ‘get it right the first time’ than rush and make errors. But if
you do find an error or have a question, please feel free to ask about it. It
pleases me greatly to raise grades when warranted. However, it annoys me
terribly when students push for points when they are not warranted; this is
disrespectful to me, your fellow students, and yourself—so please avoid it.
A request for me to review your grades must be made in person.
Reconsideration, if granted, will take your entire test and, in some cases, your
entire record into account and may result in lower as well as higher grades.
The average grade in anthropology is generally a low C+. However, the
department does expect grades to be a bit higher in 500-level courses. Whether
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this is the case for us is up to you. That said, I am very optimistic and look
forward to an exciting and rewarding semester with your class!
Use of Blackboard and E-mail
This course makes heavy use of Blackboard for document storage and
announcements. All students can access our Blackboard class site using their
SDSU red ID login and password at: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/login.
I use Blackboard not only to post required readings, videos, and announcements
but also to email the class. Be sure that the email address associated with your
Blackboard account is one that you check regularly (daily).
You also can email me, whether through Blackboard or directly. When doing so,
please make sure that your name and the class number are on the subject line. If
you do not hear back from me within 24 hours, you can assume that your email
went into the spam filter. Try again with another subject label.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is required of all students at SDSU. Breaches of academic
integrity (academic dishonesty) include but are not limited to cheating,
plagiarizing, falsifying records or data, and assisting another individual in any of
the above. Please familiarize yourself with SDSU’s policies by clicking into the
following website: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/index.html
Students who engage in ANY form of academic dishonesty will receive an "F" for
the course grade and will be reported to the Anthropology Department's
Undergraduate Coordinator or Graduate Advisor as appropriate and to SDSU’s
Judicial Coordinator, who will then take appropriate action. Remember that any
temptation to falsify data affects not only you but the class as a whole,
undermining others’ hard work on our project.
Disabilities, Athletics, and Religious Observances
As per SDSU policy, students with disabilities or religious needs requiring special
accommodation (e.g., tests) must provide notice. Disability accommodation
requires documentation from SDS. Athletes also must provide notice and
appropriate documentation if accommodation is sought.
It is your responsibility to check the syllabus and schedule now and to alert me
within the first two weeks of class if you will need any accommodation.
If you think that you have a disability that impedes your learning or test taking,
you may seek certification via SDS, located in Suite 3100 at Calpulli Center.
Their website is: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/dss/dss_home.html
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