Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• 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.
• 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 691: Directed Study in Medical Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - To be arranged with the instructor. Var cr, Fall & SSI sem.
• GMS MA 692: Directed Study in Medical Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - 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 1:00-4:00, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 701: History and Theory of Medical Anthropology (Part II)
  This course, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, 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: Service Learning Internship (Pt. 1)
  For this internship, students will arrange a volunteer project with the group or community with whom they plan to conduct their fieldwork. The purpose of the practicum is to initiate the process of engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research design.
• GMS MA 709: Service Learning Internship (Pt. 2)
  For this practicum, students will continue working on their a volunteer project with the group or community with whom they plan to conduct their fieldwork. The purpose of the practicum is to initiate the process of engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research design.
• 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, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, 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 10:00-1:50, 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 734: Reading Ethnography in Medical Anthropology
  This seminar, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, 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, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, 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. W 10-12:50 Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 742: Medical Anthropological and Qualitative Data Analysis
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Not open to undergraduates. - Graduate Prerequisites: GMS MA 710, GMS MA 770, and Summer Fieldwork Directed Study credits (c ontact instructor for more information). - Examines strategies for analyzing medical anthropology data deriving from interviews and documents. In addition to reviewing different coding strategies and the rationales underlying them, the course, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, 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. Prereq: Permission of instructor. 3 cr, Fall sem. W 10-12:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 770: IRB Proposal Development and Writing
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Not open to undergraduates. - Graduate Prerequisites: GMS MA 700-A1 or permission of the instructor. - Prereq: Permission of Instructor. In this course, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, students will learn to write a medical anthropology research proposal and related Institutional Review Board Proposal, through the structure provided by the IRB of BUSM. We will address theory and methods related to the design and review process. 3 cr, Spring sem. M 10-1:50, Medical Campus.
• GMS MA 786: Final Project Writing Seminar
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Not open to undergraduates. - Graduate Prerequisites: GMS MA 710, GMS MA 770, and Summer Fieldwork Directed Study credits (c ontact instructor for more information), and GMS MA 742, or permission of the instructor. - This seminar, offered by Medical Anthropology and Cross Cultural Practice, will train learners in the theory and practice of writing up medical anthropology research findings, and of writing ethnography. The course emphasizes analytical writing. Students will learn to identify and employ rhetorical and stylistic strategies and genre conventions. The class is structured as a seminar, emphasizing class discussion, workshops and peer-group work. Prereq: Permission of instructor. 3 cr, Spring sem. F 2-4:45, Medical Campus.
• GMS MD 800: CLIN CLERKSHIP
  This course description is currently under construction.
• GMS MH 701: Counseling Theory
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course provides an overview of major theoretical approaches to case conceptualization for clinical mental health counseling, including psychoanalytic, person-centered, cognitive-behavioral, and solution-focused theories. Students will begin to develop an understanding of the process for selecting appropriate clinical mental health counseling interventions, consistent with current research standards. 3 cr, Yr. 1, Spring sem.
• GMS MH 703: Counseling Techniques
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course provides an overview of the skills and styles needed for building healthy and therapeutic helping relationships, as well as techniques specific to a variety of psychological disorders and problems with living. Emphasis is placed on experiential exercises and clinical mental health counseling-related skills-building, including interviewing and behaviors influencing the helping process. 3 cr, Yr. 1, Fall sem.