PURPOSE
What is the role of cultural beliefs in human beings’ understandings of themselves and their social worlds with respect to illness and health? How do cultural understandings affect individuals’ knowledge of their health and the systems designed to provide care? And how is that represented in the larger society including how such individuals are treated? In this study, students will become oriented to the micro and macro differences that cultural beliefs can make in both recipients’, societies’ and health care providers’ understandings of themselves and their worlds with respect to concepts of disease, health, and subsequent caring interventions. This independent study will be conducted at a distance with phone and email communication.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the culmination of the study students will be able to:
1) Be always curious (not complacent) about the actual experience of illness and dis-ease in others,
Identify and evaluate differences in experience of illness between those suffering and those others viewing the suffering;
3) Identify differences and connection between micro and macro cultural differences; and cultural versus universal factors such as poverty in the experiences of illness;
4) Compare and contrast different cultural beliefs about health and illness, identifying in order to evaluate potential integration or conflict in the provision of care;
5) Understand the effect of failure to recognize differences between cultural beliefs that will interfere with provision of needed care, and identify possible solutions.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Initial Essay- Before You Begin
Students will write a short informal essay identifying their learning interest in this course and educational goals for the study, both current and lifelong learning –Due Week1 ________________________.
Discussions
If possible, introductory phone meeting to clarify the LC and discuss learning style is highly recommended Weeks 1-2. Other phone meetings can be arranged as needed to discuss learning progress, plans for term paper etc,Weeks 7-8 and Weeks 9-10, respectively.
Texts
Robert Coles’ “Stories and Theories” (Chapter 1) in The Call of Stories (1989); also available on line @ http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/j6075/edit/Coles2.html
Susan Sontag’s book: Illness as metaphor and AIDS and its metaphors.
Arthur Kleinman’s The Illness Narratives, NY: Basic Books (Chapters. 1, 2, 5, 7, 10).
Singer & H. Baer Introducing Medical Anthropology: A discipline in action. (2011).
Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down*.
Written Assignments with Schedule
Concept Paper- Becoming Informed:Students will spend 1st few days of the term becoming familiar with concept of cultural differences, by reflecting on their own idea of cultural difference then researching the concept. This research will result in writing a 1-2 page essay response to the question “What is our current understanding of cultural differences?(Be sure to cite all sources used in your essay—giving credit to ideas of others): Due Week 2_______________________________.
— Three sample internet sources follow but feel free to find your own: a) Galanti, G. (2000, May). An introduction to cultural differences. Western Journal of Medicine 172(5), pp. 335–336, available @ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070887/; b) American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists posting #493, May 2011
Seeing and Being Seen: Write a 5-page paper reviewing Coles’, Kleinman’s and Sontag’s works showing how cultural beliefs and views (macro) show up in interpersonal interactions (micro) between one’s self and others’ views of health and illness or disease; in essence showing differences in seeing (self-experience) and others’ (being seen) views of illness chapters (1,3,5,6,) in Singer & Baer’s textbook with a 1-page final reflection showing how medical anthropology informs us of the often “not seen” effects of cultural differences in health, illness, and care —
NB: All formal papers (not informal essays) are expected to meet the standards for an academic paper using APA or MLA style formats with accurate citations to sources in order to prevent plagiarism. Papers that do not meet that standard will be returned for revision with recommendation to contact writing coaches in your region for help. Students are expected to respond to comments on papers for guidance, showing improvement as the course progresses. By midterm, any catch-up writing skills should be complete, and papers will then be also evaluated for meeting standard for academic papers. If you are not familiar with academic writing, workshops are available fromwww.esc.edu/library and other resources provided by the Instructor.
METHODS AND CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Students’ work will be evaluated for accuracy, analysis and synthesis of information and depth of understanding of cultural differences in the experience of illness and the effect in provision of care.Students’ papers are expected to meet academic standards using APA, or MLA style formats. Evaluations of work during the course are provided in narrative comments and letter grade equivalences. For final course evaluation, all work is considered as a whole and a letter grade provided.
General guidelines for final letter grade are:
A = Excellent performance: application of theory/research to new situations; all papers meet academic standards for writing including application of style format, grammar, punctuation.
B = Good, above average performance: application of theory/research accurately and perceptively; papers mostly meet academic standards for writing including application of style format for citations, grammar, punctuation.
C = Satisfactory performance: accurate comprehension of theory/scholarly writings/ research and papers which meet acceptable academic standards for writing, including accurate application of style format, grammar, punctuation.
D = Work shows inadequate or incorrect understanding of the concepts of this study.
F= No Credit: Inconsistent or lack of evidence of comprehension of subject matter.
Although student work is considered as a whole for final grade, assignments are weighted as a guide:
Concept Paper ________________________________________________ 10%
Seeing and Being Seen Paper (Review of Coles, Kleinman, Sontag) …….…..15%
Medical Anthropological View (Chapter reviews) ……………………………….15%
Cultural Clash (Analysis & Review of Fadiman’s book) ………………………….20%
Term/Research Paper …………….………………………………………………….25%
Reflection on Learning Essay (including initial essay) ………………………..……10%
Communication & Conduct (responsibility for independent study) ………………05%
NB: Assignments need to be submitted in a timely manner for comment and guidance by Instructor, assignments; otherwise only evaluation can be offered. If by Week 12 40% of the assignments have not been submitted, students’ work will qualify for a ZW grade. Exceptions can be made on an individual basis by contacting the instructor.
PLAN FOR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
In addition to developmental feedback in discussions and on written assignments, students will assess their learning in initial and final reflective essays.
End of Official Learning Contract
ADDENDUM: Extra Supports for Successful Completion of this study.
Learning Contract: Be sure to Read the Learning Contract (LC) carefully, and Print it out after Filling in the dates assignments are due by using the ESC term calendar. You can choose either Fridays or Sundays as the end of the week– your preference. Putting in the dates permits you to be interactive and choose dates when you are available for submitting work. For example, if you know you will be away at a certain time, we can negotiate a different date for submissions. Weekly dates are available at ESC’s weekly term calendar: https://www.esc.edu/myesc/term-weeks/, Example:
“Fall 1 2016
Week
Begins
Ends
Week 1
Sept.12
Sept.18
Week 2
Sept.19
Sept.25
Week 3
Sept.26
Oct. 2”
Writing Help: If you need help in writing an Annotated Bibliography or doing the Research Paper; or with writing skills such as how to write citations using an accepted style format like APA or MLA, contact the www.esc.edu/library which has workshops for students on all kinds of writing skill topics such as how to recognize professional versus popular writing and how to write in APA or MLA style formats. According to the library: “Workshop details can always be found here http://subjectguides.esc.edu/workshops and also linked from the library home page). Students can also contact the Writing Coach(s) at your ESC Region or the writing coach in the Hudson Valley Region, ………………….Be sure to avail yourself of the information on writing skills: Whatever you don’t know you can learn!
More Help in Writing:Smarthinking, Online Writing Tutorial Service. To improve your writing- use Smarthinking, a free editing service available from ESC through your myesc account. There is usually only a 24-hour turnaround time. Instructions on how to access this very helpful program are:
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