Anthropology of Health and Medicine

Undergraduate | 2026

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area/catalogue icon
Area/Catalogue
ANTH 3002
Course ID icon
Course ID
200872
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course level icon
Course level
3
Study abroad and student exchange icon
Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
No
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
No
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
No
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Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

This course develops a cross-cultural understanding of health, healing, beliefs about the body, and theories of illness - cultural, social and bio-medical. It critically examines the way in which medical beliefs and practices are socially constructed. Specific topics covered will include: cultural understandings of the mind/body, illness as symbol and metaphor, healers and their roles, institutional responses to disease, and the interaction between different health systems. Through the lens of medical anthropology the course asks students to contemplate their own assumptions about health and illness, and how each of these are 'treated' in a range of social and cultural settings.

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A