SGLK20003U The Anthropology of Global Health

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Global Health - compulsory

Content

The overall aim of this course is to investigate connections between anthropology and global health and to understand social and cultural influences of health, sickness, and interventions around the world.

This course introduces students to core concepts in medical anthropology relevant for the analysis of individual response to illness and affliction and for an understanding of how relationships between patients and health care providers are shaped.

Key course topics include: Population dynamics and the relation to global health; health, wealth and global power structures; illness narratives and therapeutic trajectories, health care systems and healing traditions; life-course, lifestyles as well as the role of medical technologies.

Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think critically and creatively about health problems and policies and to envision innovative and effective responses to some of the main health challenges. Furthermore, students will be introduced to writing policy briefs.

Learning Outcome

Learning objectives:

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

Knowledge

  • Understand health care practices and perceptions in the broader social and political context.
  • Describe and discuss social and cultural factors influencing health, sickness and therapy in low- middle and high-income societies
  • Identify and discuss, from an anthropological point of view, the role of  different stakeholders at international, national, and local levels.
  • Describe main global health challenges and discuss possible responses to these challenges

 

Skills:

  • Work in inter-disciplinary settings
  • Apply relevant theoretical concepts in the analysis of selected social and cultural aspects influencing health care practices.
  • Communicate research-based knowledge efficiently through such genres as policy briefs and group assignments.

 

Competencies:

  • Critically evaluate (selected) central aspects of health care interventions from an equity perspective
  • Develop and present short analyses of selected health care challenges based on case studies and/or critical reading of articles.
  • Demonstrate good communication competencies

The reading list includes peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. In addition, we include film cuts and if relevant newspaper articles in the teaching.

For credit transfer students:
If you are applying for the course as a credit transfer student, you must have passed courses in qualitative and quantitative research methodology, for 5 ECTS respectively. Documentation for corresponding competencies in the form of a course description and an exam result must be attached to your application.
Different pedagogical approaches will be used during the module:

• Formal lectures by selected teachers followed by discussions
• Group assignments (both small class-room assignments as well as home-work) assignments)
• Case-work
• Student presentations
• Peer-feedback
• Workshop on policy briefs
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 145
  • Exam
  • 30
  • Total
  • 207
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

Time is allocated during class for the groups to convene and work on the assignment while tutor or course responsible is present to provide guidance and supervision.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral exam on basis of previous submission under invigilation
Type of assessment details
The report(s) are prepared during the course and form the basis of the exam. The exam is a group exam (each group includes four students). The assignment will be a written group report, max 10 pages, to be submitted the second week of January, followed by an oral exam. Students will get an individual grademark, based on the written exam and the oral performance (with individual marks).
Exam registration requirements



 

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
More than one internal examiner.
Exam period

See the exam schedule

Re-exam

See the exam schedule

Criteria for exam assesment

 

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student must be able to demonstrate

Knowledge

- on the social and cultural factors influencing health, sickness and therapy in low-, middle and high-income

-on the broader social and political context for an understanding of  health care practices and perceptions

- on the role of different stakeholders at international, national and local levels


Skills

- related to the analysis of selected social and cultural aspects of health care in a global context

-related to team work and to the formulation of short policy briefs on current global health issues
 

Competencies
- in critical evaluation of central (selected) health care policies and interventions applying core concepts from medical anthropology and related fields