ANTH 127A: Medicine, Body, and CultureInstructor: Hui Wen Prerequisites: None Course Description: Medicine has always been, at its core, an attempt to respond to pain and suffering. Medical anthropology examines this process, asking how suffering, healing, and care are understood, practiced, and made meaningful across different social and cultural worlds. From selected readings, we will explore how anthropologists have approached historical and contemporary problems in the global field of medicine. Topics of the course include the production of medical knowledge and belief; the political, economic, and religious dimensions of suffering and illness; and patients and healers in comparative medical systems. While our course trajectory will lead us to treat biomedicine as only one among many systems of meaning and authority, we will also spend some time examining the application of biomedicine in different cultures and regions, thereby complicating the notion that biomedicine is somehow insulated from the reach of culture. The course encourages students to apply anthropological theories of medicine, the body, and care through multiple methods, linking classroom learning with the lived experiences of local communities. Session: Session I Day: M, T, Th Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm Credit Hours: 4 Credits Course Format: On-Campus Course for Summer 2026 Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: DJW, NW, SS Enrollment Limit: n/a Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course Course Tuition: $3,825 Course Fees: None Open to High School Students: Yes |
