Summer 2017 - SA 218 D100
Illness, Culture and Society (SA) (4)
Class Number: 3032
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Mon, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Stacy Pigg
pigg@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
The study of socio-cultural factors related to health and illness. Focus will be on patterns of health seeking activity, systems of health care, causal and symbolic factors involved in physical and mental illness, and the medicalization of life in contemporary society. The disciplinary focus of the course will vary from semester to semester. Students with credit SA 460 when offered as Medical Anthropology may not take SA 218 for further credit.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course introduces key frameworks developed in anthropology for understanding health, illness, and healing in its social, cultural, and historical contexts. Depending on who you are and where you live, there are differences in the harms you experience, the impact these have in your life and relationships, and the material and social resources you have available to resolve your situation.
We will explore how cultural conceptions of the body (especially the conceptions embedded in “western” biomedicine) shape both patient experience and medical care. We will stretch our imaginations to understand realities that are not recognized by western, modern medical institutions. We will study the ways different groups (e.g. families, health care professionals, civic leaders, support groups, traditional healers, public health officials) organize action in the face of affliction.
We will question the medical forms through which social inequalities are often reinforced. We also visit (through readings) occupational therapists as they chat in their lunch rooms, watch genetic counselors as they advise prospective parents on amniocentesis, sit in a chemo chair, contemplate how to get back a lost soul or get rid of a possessing spirit, and join new American medical students as they conduct their first autopsy. Throughout the course, we’ll also be turning to the medium of comics (aka graphic novels) to think about what visual story-telling can reveal about social interactions in medical settings.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
Class time is organized around in-depth discussion of issues raised by the readings (not lectures explaining the readings), so you should be prepared to use weekly out-of-class study time to read and prepare notes before each class. Overall, this course teaches students to work with richly contextualized, specific case studies as a source for broad, comparative insights that can both enhance our understanding of multiple, intersecting social processes and be applied to new events.
Grading
- Essay (approximately 1500 words) 30%
- Take-home short essay exam 30%
- Learning reflections exercises (cumulative; includes assigned structured notes on readings, in-class writing, and visual exercises) 20%
- Participation (includes in-class quizzes on readings, participation in discussions) 20%
NOTES:
Where a final exam is scheduled and you do not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, you will be assigned an N grade. Unless otherwise specified on the course outline, all other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.
Students will receive an N grade if they do not complete any one of the following assignments: essay; take-home exam; participation; learning reflections portfolio. (Missing components of portfolio and participation will result in a lower grade).
REQUIREMENTS:
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐ S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Fadiman, Anne. (1997). The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York.
ISBN: 9780374533403
Articles (posted on Canvas)
Several graphic novels (book-length comics) - to be decided.
Please budget $50-$75 for these.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS