ANTH 133. Anthropology of Biomedicine

In this seminar we explore biomedicine from an anthropological perspective, exploring the entanglement of bodies with history, environment, culture, and power. We begin the course with a focus on the historical emergence of biomedical technologies and their related discourses and practices and then move into contemporary contexts of their use and circulation. Throughout, we focus on the ways in which the development, use, and distribution of biomedical technologies and discourses are influenced by prevailing medical systems, political interests, and cultural norms. Topics to be covered include biomedicine as technology, medical categorization and ideas of the normal, ethics and moral boundaries, the space of the clinic, the circulation of pharmaceuticals, and health and inequality.
Prerequisite: ANTH 043E or permission of the Instructor
Social sciences.
2 credits.
Eligible for GLBL-core
Spring 2025. Schuetze.
Catalog chapter: Sociology and Anthropology
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/sociology-anthropology

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