Students

ANTH2002 – Illness and Healing

2021 – Session 2, Fully online/virtual

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Sophiya Sharma
Daniel Tranter
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ANTH150 or ANTH1050) or 40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces us to a perspective on illness and healing that opens up when we give central importance to human experiences of what it is to be ill or to be healed. This means that we do not necessarily have to choose between biology and sociology, between individual and culture. These elements get integrated – and this is insight comes through in the more holistic understandings of “alternative” therapies as well as in the accounts we have of healing traditions from around the world. But how and where does this integration occur? To answer this, we need to refer to experience, both individual and collective. The unit will therefore give priority to richly experiential accounts made available in ethnographies, as well as in other kinds of writing such as literature and introduce us to a perspective called phenomenology. As we seek to understand the wide variety of ways in which different cultural histories have understood what it means to be ill or to be healed, we will necessarily go deeper into some of anthropology’s most fundamental challenge – it tells us that what it means to be ‘human’ is fundamentally a relationship to the world around us, and that world has been understood in very different ways across time and place.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theory as it relates to medical anthropology and the broader study of illness and healing practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • ULO2: Identify the processes through which biology, culture, politics, and ecology interact to shape illness and health, health systems, and patterns.
  • ULO3: Research, analyse, and represent the illness experience of a person or community, emphasizing the integrative factors (culture, politics, social structure, etc.) influencing the condition.
  • ULO4: Identify and apply the theories and concepts of medical anthropology to critically evaluate one’s own culture and determinants of illness and health.
  • ULO5: Analyse how illness and health (and normality) are constructed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • ULO6: Analyse how inequality, social hierarchy, and structural violence generate unequal and often unique health determinants in the global and transnational context.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, etc.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Short Essay 30% No 10/09/2021 23:59
Long Essay 40% No 29/10/2021 23:59
(for external students only) Tutorial participation in non-synchronous time via online discussion forum. 30% No Weekly

Short Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: 10/09/2021 23:59
Weighting: 30%

 

Short essay of 1500-words gauging comprehension of the first six weeks of the unit content.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theory as it relates to medical anthropology and the broader study of illness and healing practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Identify the processes through which biology, culture, politics, and ecology interact to shape illness and health, health systems, and patterns.
  • Research, analyse, and represent the illness experience of a person or community, emphasizing the integrative factors (culture, politics, social structure, etc.) influencing the condition.
  • Identify and apply the theories and concepts of medical anthropology to critically evaluate one’s own culture and determinants of illness and health.
  • Analyse how illness and health (and normality) are constructed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Analyse how inequality, social hierarchy, and structural violence generate unequal and often unique health determinants in the global and transnational context.

Long Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 29/10/2021 23:59
Weighting: 40%

 

Word length: 2000 words Choice between a) book-review essay (choice of books will be nominated by the unit convener) or b) Implications of unit content for healing practice.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theory as it relates to medical anthropology and the broader study of illness and healing practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Identify the processes through which biology, culture, politics, and ecology interact to shape illness and health, health systems, and patterns.
  • Research, analyse, and represent the illness experience of a person or community, emphasizing the integrative factors (culture, politics, social structure, etc.) influencing the condition.
  • Identify and apply the theories and concepts of medical anthropology to critically evaluate one’s own culture and determinants of illness and health.
  • Analyse how illness and health (and normality) are constructed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Analyse how inequality, social hierarchy, and structural violence generate unequal and often unique health determinants in the global and transnational context.

(for external students only) Tutorial participation in non-synchronous time via online discussion forum.

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 30%

 

Written participation in weekly posts in online discussion forum. Applies to external students.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and apply the theories and concepts of medical anthropology to critically evaluate one’s own culture and determinants of illness and health.
  • Analyse how illness and health (and normality) are constructed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Analyse how inequality, social hierarchy, and structural violence generate unequal and often unique health determinants in the global and transnational context.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

All internal students will be enrolled in a mix of on campus (in person) and Zoom tutorials. External students will participate online through iLearn discussion forums. 

All lectures for this unit will be pre-recorded and made available on the day of the scheduled lecture. 

Readings will be available through Leganto.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.


Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook