ANTH 479 A: Advanced Topics in Medical Anthropology

Spring 2021
Meeting:
M 2:30pm - 5:20pm / * *
SLN:
10335
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
SPECIAL TOPICS IN MED ANTH: FOOD AND LIFE POLITICS COURSE TAUGHT SYNCHRONOUSLY ASYNCHRONOUS OPTION OFFERED VIA REMOTE LEARNING
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Biopolitics in the Global Food System 

Class Time: Mondays, 2:30-5:20 pm.

Alternate Evening Session for Asynch students: Mondays, 7 pm.

Office Hours: After class and by appt.

This course is available to both synch and asynch students. We will be doing some group problem solving at the start of the course to see how we can equalize the creation of a learning community between the two groups. Use the Zoom menu to access the class in real time. The Zoom recording will be uploaded on the course schedule for that day as soon as it is available. 

Classes will be recorded on zoom for asynch students. There will also be an evening discussion time for asynch students to meet in real time if there are enough students interested in this option. Otherwise, I will use this hour as an alternate office hours for asynch students although synch students are also welcome.

The course will be organized along the lines of a "book club" in which we will be doing close readings of three book-length anthropological studies that explore aspects of of how the global food economy is impacting the health, human rights, environmental sustainability, and food sovereignty of communities world wide. Students will have a role to shape discussion sessions in response to the instructor's prompt to help guide their preparation for class. The recorded discussion will be recorded on zoom and will be limited to one hour. The extra class time is yours to help you complete the reading and viewing assignments. You can expect 80-100 pages a week.

Reading List

Kregg Hetherington, The Government of Beans: Regulating Life in the Age of Monocrops. Duke U. Press, 2020.

Kristina Lyons, Vital Decomposition: Soil Practitioners + Life Politics, Duke U Press, 2020.

Anna Tsing, The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. Princeton U Press, 2015.

All three books are available as ebooks through the UW Library Portal, with unlimited users in the licensing agreements.

Viewing Assignments:

The three books have been matched up with documentary films for viewing as an integral part of this course. Links for streaming the films will be provided in the class schedule below.

Discussion Posts:

This class is will be conducted in a discussion format rather than a lecture format. In order for this course to work well, it is important to stay current with the readings and to be prepared to participate in class. Discussion will take place during class time and also through activity with the discussion boards on Canvas.

The participation grade is based on activity in these online discussions unless there are compelling reasons that prevent you from doing so. In these cases, I will work with students to figure out an alternative form of participation. One possibility might be to use a "social reading" platform such as Perusall, which allows students to annotate a book text and respond to other reader comments in the margins as you read. This technology is unfamiliar to me, so we would be on the same learning curve, but it has promise for creating some good engagement and interaction. We can discuss in class if this is something we should pursue.

The graded assignments for this class is a graded discussion post (3-4 paragraphs, 9 points each) for each set of readings and a one-paragraph ungraded response (2 points each) to another student's post. They are due midnight Sunday. This will give me time to sort through the posts on Monday morning as a preparation to lead the discussion in class. You get one pass for the quarter for missing a response, so you will need to do 7 out of the 8 responses to qualify for full credit. Online discussion activity counts for 2 points each, with one free pass.

Grading Overview:

Discussion Posts (8 posts, 9 points each): 72 points

Discussion Responses (7 responses, 2 points each): 14 points

Class Participation: (7 classes, 2 points each): 14 points

Total: 100 points

Please Note: Final grades will not be calculated using the Canvas Grade Sheet. The total points will be added up, multiplied by 4, and divided by 100 to get the 4.0 equivalent.

Discussion Prompts:

The content of the discussion posts can take different forms. Here are a few suggestions to prompt your approach:

  • Identify a critical term or a particular theoretical framing that the author is using. Does it help you view something in a new and mind-altering way?
  • Identify an "aha!" moment that particularly struck you in what you are learning from the reading.
  • Make a connection between the reading assignments and the films assigned for this course. How does the visual material complement or complicate your understanding of the written material.
  • Identify a passage that you are wanting to understand more clearly. What is not clear to you and what might help you to comprehend what the author is saying.

Extra Credit for Service Learning:

If you are interested in getting off of Zoom and getting your hands dirty you are welcome to sign up for 2 credit hours of service learning in Anth 489: Anthropology Practicum.  I am a gardener at the Picardo Farm Community Garden (located on 25th Ave NE about two miles north of campus near to Dahl Playing Field and on the 372 bus route) and I have arranged with Alexandria Soleil, our volunteer coordinator, to set up opportunities for student volunteering. Most of the activities will be preparing beds for spring planting in the Giving Garden (growing food for local food banks), gleaning, harvesting, weeding, composting, etc. We also have elderly gardeners who may need a little help getting their beds prepared for spring planting. There is also a children's garden where volunteer hours are always needed.

If this location is not convenient for you, you might find another community garden closer to home. Seattle has almost 100 gardens altogether. You can find a map here. To participate, you would need to connect me up with their volunteer coordinator. If you have difficulty finding this person, let me know. You can also volunteer at the UW Student Farm (volunteer information). Or you can volunteer in any local organization that is focused on food-related activism (e.g., Green Plate Special, Beacon Hill Food Forest, etc.) .

Practicing the COVID guidelines is obligatory (social distancing, masking, hand washing, remaining out of doors, sitting out if you have been exposed to someone with COVID or are feeling symptoms).

Students would need to commit to 20 hours of volunteer work for 2 credits and to deliver a short essay (3-5 pages) documenting their learning at the end of the quarter. I will be posting updates to the student volunteers about work parties at Picardo. I live close and can also help direct student volunteers according to a schedule that works for everyone. So if you are not available during the work parties, I may be able to fill the gap. 

Class Schedule

March 29

Introduction

Zoom Recording

The first part of today's meeting is missing on the recording, but we were just going over the syllabus, so most of the material covered is self-evident.

April 5

Discussion Board

Powerpoint

Zoom Recording

Link to Join Evening Session (7 pm)

Reading Assignment:

Government of Beans, pp. 1-80.

Viewing Assignment:

Soyalism (65 minutes)

April 12

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Reading Assignment:

Government of Beans, pp. 81-156.

Viewing Assignment:

Argentina's Bad Seeds (25 minutes)

April 19

Discussion Board

Powerpoint

Zoom Recording

Reading Assignment:

Government of Beans, pp. 157-222.

April 26

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Powerpoint

Reading Assignment:

Vital Decomposition, pp. 1-104.

Viewing Assignment:

Symphony of the Soil (104 minutes) 

May 3

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Powerpoint

Reading Assignment:

Vital Decomposition, pp. 105-181.

Viewing Assignment: Kiss the Ground (84 minutes) 

May 10

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Powerpoint

Reading Assignment:

The Mushroom at the End of the World, pp. 1-96.

Viewing Assignment:

Fantastic Fungi 

May 17

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Powerpoint

Reading Assignment:

The Mushroom at the End of the World, pp. 97-192.

Viewing Assignment:

A Farm for the Future

(49 minutes)

May 24

Discussion Board

Zoom Recording

Powerpoint

Reading Assignment:

The Mushroom at the End of the World, pp. 193-288.

Viewing Assignment:

The Last Season

This link is now on Kanopy through the UW

The Last Season

This link is on demand at Vimeo for 2.99.

May 31

Memorial Day, No Class

 

 

Catalog Description:
Explores theoretical and ethnographic advanced topics in medical anthropology.
Department Requirements Met:
Medical Anthropology & Global Health Option
Credits:
3.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
March 28, 2024 - 7:12 pm