Courses

• GMS MA 677: Special Topics in Medical Anthropology: Program Evaluation for Social Scientists
  The Special Topic for Fall 2018 is Program Evaluation. This course will examine different approaches to applying the tools and methods of anthropology to evaluating programs. Evaluation anthropology takes an integrated approach that examines meanings of program efficacy and effectiveness, in the context of cultural systems that change over time and space. As Mary Odell Butler has asked, "How can we establish useful statements of program value given the complex contexts in which programs are implemented? How can we arrive at evaluation results induced from variable manifestations of program concepts in complex cultural systems?" Th 12:30-3:15 PM. Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 678: Reproductive Anthropology
  As a field within medical anthropology, Reproductive Anthropology can encompass all aspects of human reproduction and sexual/reproductive health, including: adolescent sexuality, fertility, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, birthing, adoption, breastfeeding, the health needs of LGBTQ communities, assisted reproductive technologies, masculinity & male infertility, reproductive health care in and across various care settings and in varying sociocultural and political-economic contexts locally, nationally, and internationally, the roles of race, class, gender, and nationality in all of the above, and many other topics. Any issue, practice, illness, trend, or debate that combines human behavior and reproductive health or ability is fertile ground for anthropological examination from evolutionary, biocultural, and critical-medical perspectives. 3 cr, Spring sem. Th 12:30-3:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 679: Syndemics: An Interdisciplinary Concept in BioSocial Health
  The term syndemic labels the synergistic interaction of two or more co- existing diseases or conditions that results from structural inequality, and that produces an excess burden of disease, thereby increasing suffering. Syndemics research emphasizes the interplay between human behavior, structural conditions, health, and policy that elevates the overall burden of disease in a population. A major contribution of medical anthropology and a particular focus of the CDC, epidemiologists, and clinicians, syndemics provides an important tool for researchers and providers alike. This seminar typically begins with an overview of the field of syndemics, and culminates with a focused exploration of a new or emerging syndemic which the class works collaboratively to identify and further develop for publication. 3 cr, Spring sem. T 12:30-3:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 680: Culture, Migration, and Mental Health
  This medical anthropology course explores the ways in which mental health and illness are constructed by and for those who migrate across national, cultural, and other borders. We will examine the historical development of the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and social work in the context of Western societies, in parallel with the anthropological study of ritual, violence, ecstatic and possession experiences in non-Western societies. We will then explore debates in cross-cultural mental health care that bring these historical disciplines into dialogue, particularly in the context of programs for the treatment of refugee and immigrant mental health. The intersection of political, economic, religious, and gender issues in the construction of mental health will also be considered. 3 cr, Spring sem. Th 3:30-6:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 682: Islamic Medicines and Healing
  This medical anthropology course explores the social history of medicine and healing traditions among Muslims: the role of the Prophet Muhammad as model and source of health and medicine; the emergence of classical Islamic medicine as synthesis of and innovation on Greek traditions; the influence of legal/moral traditions in regulating and preserving public health; the development of hospitals in the Muslim world; the influence of Sufi philosophy, practices, and the proliferation of shrines on healing traditions; the effects of emerging biomedical practice introduced from the West; the "revival" of Islamic medicine, and the emergence of alternative medicines. Primary and secondary historical sources and contemporary ethnographic accounts complement students' own research projects in the seminar. 3 cr, Fall sem. Th 3:30-6:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 684: Social History of Chinese Medicine and Healing Traditions
  Explores intersections between the therapeutic, the medical, and the religious, through the study of healing traditions in China. Includes the role of shamans and the persistence of traditions involving gods, ghosts, and ancestors; the emergence of classical medicine and canonical texts, together with the role played by Scholar-Physicians; the influences of Daoist approaches to healing, longevity, and alchemy; the introduction of Buddhist and Indian healing practices; the effects of an emerging biomedical practice brought in from the West; and the meanings of the revival of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the People's Republic of China. Primary sources, and secondary sources from history and medical anthropology. 3 cr, Fall sem. M 3:30-6:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 691: Directed Study in Medical Anthropology
  To be arranged with the instructor. Var cr, Fall & SSI sem.
• GMS MA 692: Directed Study in Medical Anthropology
  To be arranged with the instructor. Var cr, Spring & SSII sem.
• GMS MA 700: History and Theory of Medical Anthropology (Part I)
  This course introduces the history of the field of medical anthropology and of theoretical orientations related to understanding and analyzing health and medicine in society and culture. Readings will exemplify interpretive strategies applied to health-related experiences, discourse, knowledge, and practice. 3 cr, Fall sem. M 10:00-12:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 701: History and Theory of Medical Anthropology (Part II)
  This course will address theoretical traditions in medical anthropology, focusing on orientations developed and applied within the field over the past two decades to interpretations of health-related phenomena. 3 cr, Spring sem. M 10:00-12:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 708: MACCP First-Year Service Learning Internship Program (SLIP) Pt. 1
  Students in the Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice program engage in a service-learning experience in which they volunteer in, learn about, and give back to the larger community/ies surrounding the medical campus and Boston University. Participation in the Service-Learning Internship Program allows MACCP students to identify, explore, and establish potential field-sites and/or community-based partnership(s) that may yield possible sites for later data collection, and ongoing participant-observation. Site-specific learning objectives will be determined by each student/supervisor pair for each internship. Fall semester (2 cr)
• GMS MA 709: MACCP First-Year Service Learning Internship Program (SLIP) Pt. 2
  Students in the Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice program engage in a service-learning experience in which they volunteer in, learn about, and give back to the larger community/ies surrounding the medical campus and Boston University. Participation in the Service-Learning Internship Program allows MACCP students to identify, explore, and establish potential field-sites and/or community-based partnership(s) that may yield possible sites for later data collection, and ongoing participant-observation. Site-specific learning objectives will be determined by each student/supervisor pair for each internship. Spring semester (2 cr)
• GMS MA 710: Medical Anthropology and Qualitative Research Methods and Design
  Introduction to methodology for ethnographic field research in medical anthropology, and qualitative research methods. This course examines issues in designing anthropological research, and reviews theoretical approaches to research ethics, designing research, framing questions and questionnaire design, and data collection techniques. 3 cr, Fall sem. W 10:00-12:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 711: Medical Anthropology Fieldwork Pt. 1
  Fieldwork or a related internship experience is an integral dimension of anthropological methodology, and important to conducting qualitative research. Therefore, it represents an essential feature of the curriculum in the Master's in Medical Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Practice. Fieldwork allows students to complement their classroom learning with field-based learning, link theory with practice, and refine their skills. It also helps students establish contacts, develop relationships, and learn from the experience of interacting with different cultural communities and groups. This two-part seminar will review issues likely to arise in the experience of conducting fieldwork, and will provide a forum within which students can discuss their ongoing fieldwork. Prereq: a previously approved Institutional Review Board protocol, and permission of the instructor. 3 cr, Spring or Summer I sem.
• GMS MA 712: Medical Anthropology Fieldwork Pt. 2
  Fieldwork or a related internship experience is an integral dimension of anthropological methodology, and important to conducting qualitative research. Therefore, it represents an essential feature of the curriculum in the Masters in Medical Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Practice. Fieldwork allows students to complement their classroom learning with field-based learning, link theory with practice, and refine their skills. It also helps students establish contacts, develop relationships, and learn from the experience of interacting with different cultural communities and groups. This two-part seminar will review issues likely to arise in the experience of conducting fieldwork, and will provide a forum within which students can discuss their ongoing fieldwork. Prereq: a previously approved Institutional Review Board protocol, GMS MA 711, and permission of the instructor. 3 cr, Summer II or Fall sem.
• GMS MA 732: Applied Anthropology
  Prereq: Permission of instructor. Anthropology as a field has a long history of anthropologists applying their scholarship directly to addressing social issues and problems. This seminar will train students to engage in research, teaching and the practice of applied anthropology in academic and non-academic settings. It will review the history, methods, and approaches to this subfield. It will also examine the self-reflective and "engaged" dimensions, as well as related ethical challenges that are likely to arise as one undertakes the synthesis of theory and practice. Because approximately half of professional medical anthropologists serve in applied contexts, the seminar will also address the kinds of roles one might play outside of the academy.
• GMS MA 734: Reading Ethnography in Medical Anthropology
  This seminar will read medical anthropological ethnographies analytically, with a focus on works that feature Applied Anthropology. Starting with a review of the debates, going through selected classic ethnographic studies, the seminar will explore ethnographies that address different cultural meanings of human experiences of suffering and affliction, including illness and violence. Students will engage in studying the methodology, theoretical underpinnings, writing, and social positions represented in these ethnographies. Prereq: Permission of the instructor. 3 cr, Fall sem. T 10-12:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 735: Writing Ethnography in Medical Anthropology
  This seminar builds on GMS MA 734 (Reading Ethnography in Medical Anthropology), turning the focus to the actual craft of writing ethnography. It is an integral part of MACCP students' thesis-writing training. Students will learn to identify and employ rhetorical and stylistic strategies and genre conventions. Through a series of exercises that draw on their own field notes and participant observations, students learn to employ three genres of cultural representation- realist tales, confessional tales, and impressionist tales. Students will explore their own authorial voice and style, and their relationship with truth, objectivity, and point-of-view. The class is structured as a seminar, emphasizing class discussion, workshops, and peer-group work. Prereq: Permission of the instructor. 3 cr, Spring sem. Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 740: Cul for Clinic
  This course description is currently under construction.
• GMS MA 742: Medical Anthropological and Qualitative Data Analysis
  This seminar examines strategies for analyzing anthropological data deriving from interviews and documents. In addition to reviewing different coding strategies and the rationales underlying them, the course will discuss topics such as approaches to managing textual data; the selection and application of epistemological and theoretical frameworks; narrative and discourse analysis; cognitive anthropology theory and methods; the use of grounded theory. Emphasizes the application of these strategies to the analysis and interpretation of data collected by the students as part of the course process. W 10-12:50. 3 cr, Fall sem.

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