SGLK20003U The Anthropology of Global Health

Volume 2023/2024
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 portfolio development.

 

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
• Portfolio development
• Peer-feedback
• Workshop on policy briefs
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 145
  • Exam
  • 30
  • Total
  • 207
Collective
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

The course responsible offers general feedback after the exam. In addition, a brief general feed-back will be provided after the first portfolio hand-in. 

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio
Type of assessment details
The student must hand-in a total of 3 portfolios at three specific (given) dates (one portfolio on each of the dates) during the course in order to have portfolio 2 and 3 assessed by the examiners. The first two portfolios must be handed-in in Absalon. The third and final portfolio must be handed-in in Digital Exam no later than the date determined in the exam plan.

The portfolios are individual assignments.

The length of each portfolio should max be 8.000 characters incl. spaces. The total length of the three portfolios should be maximum 24.000 characters incl. spaces (excl. title page and references, incl. notes).

The purpose of the portfolios is to ensure that students work in depth with the course
material during the course rather than at the end of the course only.
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

In case of 10 or fewer students registered for re-exam

Type of assessment: Oral examination

Assessment details: 30 minutes examination

Preparation: 30 minutes

 

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 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