The concentration in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (MAGH) addresses the biological, ecological, economic, political, and sociocultural dimensions of health, illness, and healing around the world. It brings together theories, frameworks, and ethnographic foundations from sociocultural anthropology with biocultural orientations and research approaches found in biological anthropology. Students learn theoretical and methodological tools to think critically about issues related to health research, practice, and policy. They will address the biological, ethical, and sociocultural aspects of global health inequities, caregiving, medical and healing practices, technological innovations, and health interventions. The concentration encourages a mindful and critical look at how social conditions and inequalities shape the health and illness experiences of individuals, families, and populations. Students who choose a MAGH concentration may pursue further graduate academic study in medical anthropology, or careers in biomedical and health related fields, including epidemiology, global health, nursing, medicine, and public health. Others may be interested in health policy and legal aspects of health care delivery, among other fields.
All students with this concentration will have completed six credits in medical anthropology, global health, or cognate disciplines. These must include ANTH 448/548 (Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Theory and Ethnography) and an additional advanced seminar in medical anthropology (300- or 400- level seminar) that supports their preparation for the senior essay. In consultation with their adviser and/or the DUS, and especially if they plan independent research, students may wish to take an appropriate methods course as well. The MAGH concentration also requires the submission of a senior essay focused on a medical anthropology or a global health topic.
Courses
Biological Underpinnings of Health and Disease
ANTH 2530 – Birth: Intersections among biology, society and culture
ANTH 2517 – Hormones, Evolution, and Human Behavior
ANTH 230, WGSS 230 – Evolutionary Biology of Women’s Reproductive Lives
ANTH 2442 – Human Evolutionary Biology and Life History
ANTH 4667, LITR 467 – Blood: Science, Culture, and Society
MCDB 109 - Immunity and Contagion
Social, Political, and Cultural Dimensions of Health
ANTH 4847, Ethnopediatrics
ANTH/WGSS 4851/651, Intersectionality and Women’s Health: Ethnographic Approaches to Race, Class, Gender, and Difference
ANTH 4553, HLTH 425 Global Health: Equity and Policy
ANTH 4855/5856, WGSS 459/659 - Masculinity and Men’s Health: Ethnographic Perspectives
ANTH S462, Ethnographic Perspectives in Global Health
ANTH 4848/548 – Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Theory and Ethnography
ANTH 6590, Health of Indigenous Peoples
HLTH 230, GLBL 223 – Global Health: Challenges and Responses
Ethics, Politics, & Practices of Health
ANTH 3586, GLBL 393 – Humanitarian Interventions: Ethics, Politics, and Health
HLTH 420, EP&E 346 – Global Health Ethics
Health in Human History
AFAM 213, AFST 481, HIST 383J, HSHM 481 – Medicine and Race in the Slave Trade
HSHM 453, HUMS 336, E&EB 336 – Culture and Human Evolution
HSHM 477, HUMS 463, HIST 428J, RLST 437 – Critical Theories of Science and Religion
Climate and Environment in Health & Disease
ANTH 3822, SAST 306, EVST 324 – Environmental Justice in South Asia
EPH 547 – Climate Change and Public
EVST 255, F&ES 255, GLBL 282, PLSC 215 – Environmental Law and Politics: Global Food Challenges
HSHM 211 – Global Catastrophe since 1750
Technological Innovation in Health & Disease
BENG 405, ENAS 805, EVST 415: Biotechnology and the Developing World