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| Semester | spring semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Melina Rutishauser (melina.rutishauser@unibas.ch) |
| Content | Is biomedical knowledge a social construction or an absolute truth? In many ways, the relationship between anthropology and biomedicine can be described as a love-hate affair. While acknowledging that biomedicine and its technology have helped to improve the lives of many, it is usually argued that biomedicine, as a socio-technical system (or perhaps as a culture?), follows its own reasoning and practice as it is embedded in a specific social and historical context (Lock & Nguyen 2018, 1). In this seminar, we will draw on social theory and ethnographic case studies to critically discuss and unpack some of the underlying assumptions that guide biomedical knowledge production. Specifically, we will explore universalizing practices (e.g., related to universal biological norms, standardization, statistics, or technology use), knowledge hierarchies (e.g., with regard to the role of lay experience, but also coexisting medical systems) and health equity (e.g., in terms of regional or global inequalities as well as hierarchies within medical institutions). We will also look at the role and challenges of (medical) anthropologists working in, but also on, biomedically shaped institutions and projects. In addition, we will examine the discipline’s own long-neglected research on biomedicine and the changes in its perception (and representation) since the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
| Learning objectives | -An overview of past and present debates about biomedicine -A critical understanding of anthropological perspectives on biomedicine -Ability to read and critically evaluate academic texts |
| Bibliography | An extensive list of the reading material for the seminar will be distributed at the beginning of the semester. Lock, Margaret M., and Vinh-Kim Nguyen. 2018. An Anthropology of Biomedicine. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. |
| Comments | Please note that this seminar is offered as a block course. Due to the blended learning format of this block seminar, there will be self-learning activities between the block sessions. The block of 17-18 May is only reserved as a replacement date. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 25 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | See individual dates | ||
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 01.03.2024 | 14.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Friday 05.04.2024 | 14.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Saturday 06.04.2024 | 10.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Friday 03.05.2024 | 14.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Saturday 04.05.2024 | 10.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Friday 17.05.2024 | 14.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Saturday 18.05.2024 | 10.15-17.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Forschungsfelder der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theorien der Kulturanthropologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theorien und Methodologien der Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Sachthemen (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Global Ageing and Health (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Preparatory reading, active participation (online and in class, individual and in groups) and discussion of key texts. Oral and written contributions based on selected texts and topics. If you would like to write a seminar paper in this course, please contact Melina Rutishauser (melina.rutishauser@unibas.ch) and Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch) before the beginning of the course. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |