INTHE4113 - Introduction to Medical Anthropology: key concepts and perspectives
Course content
This course introduces anthropological perspectives on health, illness and medicine, and explores the interactions between biology, society and culture. It aims to present a contextual and comparative approach in which cultural and social dimensions of health-related issues are emphasized, and placed within broader political and historical processes. Through extensive use of examples mainly from Africa, Asia and Norway, four themes will be made central: cultural and social constructions of disease, notions of the body, medical pluralism and the significance of power in the global distribution of health and illness. The course is taught over five days, through lectures and extensive use of seminars.
Note: The course requires 80% attendance to sit for exam
Learning outcome
The course gives a basic understanding of ways to include social and cultural aspects in analysis of health, illness and medicine. Moreover, the students will be encouraged to explore the potential of socio-cultural perspectives on their own projects.
Literature
Cecil G. Helman: Culture, Health and Illness (5th edition, 2007).
Various articles, to be announced.
Admission
Id does not exist in shared textStudents enrolled at the M.Phil in International Community Health programme will get first priority to the courses. The deadline for register in Studentweb and apply for courses is February 1, 2013.
External applicants
External applicants are welcome to apply. Please contact Linda Andreassen if you want admission to this course.
Id does not exist in shared textPrerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Id does not exist in shared text• A completed Bachelor’s degree or a period of study comparable with a Norwegian Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution. Applicants with foreign education, please refer to the country list
(The applicants must have a specialization either within health sciences or social sciences).
• a minimum grade point average (GPA) of C (in Norwegian scale) or equivalent from the specialization in your degree.
• An internationally recognised English language proficiency test
Note: all documents must be official certified copies
International applicants or external applicants without a Norwegian ID number:
In order to be evaluated for admission, applicants must fulfill the basic entrance requirements to Norwegian universities, called Higher Education Entrance Qualification or generell studiekompetanse in Norwegian. Applicants from most European countries are eligible for admission upon completion of the secondary school leaving certificate that provides the basis for admission to university studies in the home country. Entrance requirements for applicants from non-European countries may include one or two years of university studies in addition to secondary school. Read more about admission for international applicants
You must submit the Basic Qualifications Registration Form if your Higher Education Entrance Qualification (generell studiekompetanse) for studies in Norway has not already been evaluated. In order to be evaluated, all documents must be submitted within the deadline December 1, 2012.
Send the documents to:
The University of Oslo
The Section for International Health
Department for Community Medicine
University of Oslo
P.O.Box 1130 Blindern
0318 Oslo
Overlapping courses
5 credits overlap with MF9280 - Introduction to Medical Anthropology.Teaching
Spring 2013: Week 12 (March 18th - 22nd), classroom lectures 9.00-16.00. For more information see schedule when updated
Access to teaching
Id does not exist in shared textExamination
Home Exam.
Examination support material
Id does not exist in shared textLanguage of examination
Id does not exist in shared textEnglish
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Id does not exist in shared textResit an examination
You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.
Withdrawal from an examination
Id does not exist in shared textSpecial examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.