ANT 481 - HEALTH CARE INEQUALITIES

College of Arts & Sciences

Credit(s): 3

This course introduces students to anthropological theory and ethnographic research methods from the perspective of health inequalities and cultural aspects of health care systems. Students will investigate the concepts of health, disease and illness from an anthropological perspective in order to study how cultural and structural inequalities influence diverse experiences of health care institutions and practices. Students will develop skills in cross- cultural analysis to understand how factors such as race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic status affect health outcomes, access to care, and the nature of patient-professional interactions in diverse social and cultural contexts. Students will critically examine Western biomedical interventions and practices as culturally embedded rather than universal or existing outside of culture. Students will also reflect on their own cultural and personal beliefs about the causes of and responses to illness. Students will explore the practical applications of medical anthropology for understanding the strengths and limitations of how concepts such as culture, compliance and cultural competency shape health care systems and practices, and how an anthropological approach can improve patient-professional relationships and health outcomes. Students will have opportunities for evaluating scholarly literature, critically analyzing representations of health and illness in mass media and popular culture outlets, and hands-on qualitative research involving interviews. They will learn to effectively analyze their research data and relate it to the theoretical and analytical frameworks developed by medical anthropologists.

Prereq: Admission to the Online Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences; Anthropology 101, 160, 220; or consent of the instructor.
Approved for Distance Learning.