Spring 2024, CairoThematic Course
Medical Anthropology and Doing Social Research: Amplifying Voices and Putting Theory into Practice
Course details
- Cycle
- Spring 2024, Cairo
- Starts
- Monday, Apr 22
- Meets
- Monday, 17:30–20:00
- Length
- 10 weeks
- Format
- Hybrid
- Taught in
- English
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“In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.” Marianne Williamson
About the course
This course introduces students to the field of medical anthropology, exploring its historical and contemporary approaches. Students will gain an understanding of the social and cultural determinants of health and illness, and how to conduct person-centered social research. The course will also cover the basics of writing academic articles and reports.
Some of the specific topics that will be covered include:
• What is medical anthropology and what is its approach?
• What is medical anthropology and what is its contemporary approach?
• How can we understand the social and cultural determinants of health and illness?
• What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods?
• What are the frameworks and the tools used to conduct person-centered social research?
• How to balance between voices from the field and theory?
• What is the role of humanitarian aid in today’s world?
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Cover sufficient conceptual and background material on the selected topic.
• Reflect on the literature directly related to theories of medical anthropology.
• Compare and contrast between different research methods and tools.
• Understand how to write academic articles and reports.
• Conduct social research on a topic of the student's choice.
This course is a great option for students who are interested in learning more about health, culture, development, and society. It is also a valuable introduction to the field of medical anthropology and social research.
Who teaches it
Sohayla is a PhD student, social researcher, medical anthropologist, and sexual and reproductive health and rights specialist, based in Cairo, Egypt. She worked as a research consultant at the American University of Beirut, and she is also a founding member of the East Mediterranean Federation of Sexual Health (EMFeSH). With her advocacy roles, she is focused on intersectionality, structural violence, and gender justice. Throughout her career, she worked on producing journal articles, technical reports, proposals, case studies, evaluation reports, and training manuals. Her research style merges theoretical and fieldwork approaches. She holds an M.A in Social Anthropology and a B.A in Political Science from the American University in Cairo.
From the fellow The sessions are hybrid; some are face-to-face, and others are online. (You can attend online only if needed)
Course structure: Part 1: Anthropological Approaches (Weeks 1–3); Part 2: Social Research (Weeks 4–6); Part 3: Marginalization as a Developmental Social Category (Weeks 7–10).
Course flow
April 2024
22/04
What is Anthropology?
- Introduction: Disorientation and Orientation in In Investigating Culture: An Experiential Introduction to AnthropologyDelaney and Kaspin. (2017).
- Anthropology: Comparison and ContextEriksen, Thomas H. (2010). In Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology.
29/04 - (Online)
Medical Anthropology as a field.
What is a biocultural approach to research?
- Medical Anthropology: A biocultural Approach
- Introduction in The Routledge Handbook of Medical Anthropology
May 2024
06/05 –> 09/05
*Rescheduled Sham El Nesim -> Thurs 9
- Our Bodies, Our SelvesDelaney and Kaspin. (2017). In Investigating Culture: An Experiential Introduction to Anthropology. Listed as one option (OR) with Gendering Medicine.
- Gendering MedicineListed as one option (OR) with Our Bodies, Our Selves.
- Is Female to Male as Nature Is to Culture?Ortner, S. (1974).
- The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles.Martin, E. (1991).
13/05
What is social research?
What is the difference between qualitative research and quantitative research?
What are some social research framework and methodological tools?
- Chapter 2: Thinking Like a ResearcherBhattacherjee, A. (2012). In Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices.
- Qualitative v/s. Quantitative Research- A Summarized ReviewAhmad, S. et al. (2019).
- Assignment 1: Create a brief literature review using a specific conceptual framework.
20/05
What are the frameworks and the tools used to conduct person-centered social research? (Interviews and Focus Group Discussions)
How do you conduct social research in the Arab world?
Project Introduction
- Interviews and focus groups in qualitative research: an update for the digital ageGill, P., Baillie, J.
- Introduction: Origins, Approach, and an Arab Sensibility in Social Science Research in the Arab World and BeyondTessler. (2022).
- Assignment 2: Prepare for pitching your projects.
27/05
How do we write reports and amplify voices but still merge them with theory.
- Navigating Egyptian Youth’s Coming of Age: Voices of Experiences and Voices of Experts on SRHRReport example on merging theory with fieldwork.
- Assignment 3: Conduct a semi-structured interview on any topic of your choosing.
In class
- PresentationProject pitch and workshop.
June 2024
03/06
Youth health in the Arab region
Arab Women’s health and what it means in the world of development.
- Reproductive health of Arab young people.DeJong J, El-Khoury G. BMJ.
- An Overview of Women’s Health in the Arab WorldAlQuaiz, A.J.M., Kazi, A. (2021). In Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer.
- Assignment 4: Write an autoethnographic piece on a memory where you had medical questions but were not able to find answers.
10/06
- The Cost of Being Palestinian in LebanonSawsan Abdulrahim & Marwan Khawaja (2011).
- Navigating Intersectional Realities: On Syrian Refugee Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in LebanonSohayla El-Fakahany, Emile Whaibeh, Lina Abou Habib, Faysal El-Kak. 2023.
17/06 -> 24/06 (Online)
(Rescheduled for Eid Al-Adha)
- Assignment 6: Finalize projects for Exhibition.
In class
- PresentationTalk by Samir El Hawary, visiting lecturer of International and Public Affairs in Colombia University on humanitarian aid and development. Focus Areas: Humanitarianism, Peacebuilding, Development, Complex Emergencies, Forced Displacement
(Thursday 27/06 – 8PM)
(Date to be discussed)
In class
- PresentationStudents present their projects to their classmates, fellows, and invitees.
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