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Description

Module Content

This course will critically examine and engage with approaches, topics and themes related to a new and emerging field, Biosocial Medical Anthropology. The effects on health of environmental and climatic conditions, the growing threat of epidemics and the embodied inequalities related to chronic illness require cross-disciplinary approaches that forefront the interrelation between the biological and the social. This course will introduce students to the way in which anthropologists have done this by aligning approaches and insights from across the spectrum of anthropology: Medical/Social Anthropology; Evolutionary/Biological Anthropology; and Human Ecology. At the same time, emerging fields of science and medical research including epigenetics, neuroscience and microbiome science have also been increasingly recognising the biosocial nature of health and wellbeing, adding to the body of knowledge that critically and reflexively considers how the biosocial is defined, researched and acted upon. With input from staff working in the fields Medical/Social anthropology; Evolutionary/Biological Anthropology; and Human Ecology, this course provides a unique cross-disciplinary perspective that will enable to students consider and address how we can better align the biological and social to deal with pressing health care challenges.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course students will have gained:

1. Knowledge and understanding of key cross-disciplinary approaches, concepts and theories (i.e., from across Medical/Social Anthropology; Evolutionary/Biological Anthropology and Human Ecology) within the field of Biosocial Medical Anthropology;

2. An improved and increased ability to explain and communicate research, identify and solve problems, reason critically, analyse and interpret;

3. An increased ability to demonstrate and exercise independent thinking.

Indicative Delivery Method

One 2 hour seminar per week in Term 1.

Additional Information

Formative assessment: students will complete and receive formative feedback on a plan relating to how they will approach the summative essay question.