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CS92PROD
Health and Social Justice


ANTH 211
Spring 2018
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: SISP 211
Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory
Course Cluster: Health Studies

How does health become a matter of social justice? In the context of a growing prominence of activist and advocacy groups that work toward health and justice, this course will consider: how and why health advocacy groups emerge; what goals, values, and assumptions inform their work; and how they use science and other cultural resources to make claims. We will also consider the implications of activist efforts for challenging structural inequalities, state and corporate power, and the cultural authority of science and medicine. Case studies will cover a range of geographical sites in the U.S. and abroad and represent the diverse forms that such collectives assume. We will consider, for example, groups that mobilize around broad constituencies (e.g., women's health) or in response to specific health threats (e.g., cancer, HIV, and toxic exposures), as well as those more broadly committed to social justice, equity, and "health for all." In addition to exploring the above questions, readings and class discussion will be designed for students to master some of the concepts and ideas central to medical anthropology, science and technology studies, and allied fields, such as embodiment, medicalization, biosociality, hegemony, citizenship, and the production of scientific and lay knowledge. The role of the scholar-activist will also be addressed, including the particular ethical and methodological questions that arise when scholars seek to combine research and activist agendas.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ANTH
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ANTH)(STS)
Past Enrollment Probability: Less than 50%

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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