The Master of Arts program in Medical
Anthropology is designed to prepare graduate students for professional
employment and to meet the growing community need for personnel with a
cross-cultural perspective in health fields. Students may come to this program
from a undergraduate major in the social and behavioral sciences (including, but
not limited to, anthropology), or from some health field such as nursing, public
health, counseling, or medicine.
The goal of the two-year program is to increase
the knowledge, skill, and readiness of the student for involvement with the
programs and problems of agencies, hospitals, clinics, medical organizations,
and health delivery programs at home and abroad where the applied anthropologist
can make positive contributions.
The program provides students with training in
the basic principles and methods of cultural and medical anthropology, as well
as cultural sensitivity important for employment in health-related fields.
Course Work
The M.A. degree in Medical Anthropology is based on 36 hours of course work as follows:
Required Courses (18 hours)
ANTH 5336: Anthropology and Medicine
ANTH 5344: Research Methods in Ethnology
ANTH 6316 or 6317: Advanced Seminar in Ethnology (medical topic)
ANTH 6343: Health and Medical Systems
ANTH 6353: Research in Anthropology (normally taken in fall of the second year; field/clinical research)
ANTH 6354: Research in Anthropology (normally taken in the spring of the second year;
written report of field/clinical experience and M.A. examination)
Related Courses (18 hours)
In the Department of Anthropology (minimum 12 hours):
ANTH 6303: Political Economy of Health
ANTH 6305: Applied Anthropology
ANTH 6307: Seminar in International Health
ANTH 6344: Global Population Processes
ANTH 6384: Global Issues and Development: An Overview
ANTH 6390/6391: Current Issues in Anthropology
ANTH 6316/6317: Advanced Seminar in Ethnology: Gender and Health
NOTE: Students are encouraged, in some of these
related courses, to consult with the instructor and to develop a research
project/paper topic for the course that has a medical focus. With the
permission of the adviser, students may also choose from other courses offered
by the department.
In Other Departments at SMU:
PSYC 5359: Death and Dying
PSYC 5381: Psychosomatic Processes
PHIL 3344: Medical Ethics (specify for graduate credit)
LAW 6205: Law, Literature, and Medicine (Dedman Law)
LAW 7223 or 7330: Law and Medicine/Bioethics (Dedman Law)
LAW 7420: Law and Medicine/Health Care (Dedman Law)
TC 8325: Bioethics (Perkins School of Theology)
Or any other appropriate course identified by
the student and approved by the advisor. Students should discuss their
enrollment in these courses with the instructor of record in the appropriate
department or school. Students have the option of taking these courses,
particularly those in the Law School, Pass/Fail. This option should be
discussed with the Instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies. Students
should be aware that some of the calendars of some of the professional schools
are different from that of Dedman College.
NOTE: With the approval of the Department,
students may also fulfill some of these related hours by taking a course at an
allied health center in the Dallas metroplex.
TOP
Language Proficiency
Demonstrated language proficiency will be a
requirement only where employment plans make such proficiency mandatory.
Field/Clinical Experience
A field or clinical
experience is an intrinsic part of the student’s program. This will involve
participation in some extramural medical or medically related project, clinic,
facility or agency. Students should begin to think about this experience during
their first year and to identify the agency, facility, or program where they
want to work. It is up to the student to arrange this placement, but it
must be approved by his/her mentor/advisor. Ideally, students should begin the
field/clinical experience during the summer between the first and second year,
but they must do so, under the auspices of ANTH 6353, during their third
semester (normally the fall semester of their second year).
Written Report
During their final semester in the program,
under the auspices of ANTH 6354, students prepare a written report on the
field/clinical experience. This report should be a minimum of twenty pages of
text. It must include a bibliography and be written in appropriate
anthropological style and format. This report does not need to conform to the
thesis requirements for the University. Students should consult with their
committee chairperson regarding the content and form of the report. This report
will be discussed during the M.A. exam. Examples of past reports are on file in
the Department office and are available to students.
M.A. Examination in Medical Anthropology
Upon satisfactory completion of all course work
(including the removal of any grades of Incomplete), each student must pass an
oral examination designed to review the candidate’s competence and under
conditions described in the Bulletin of Dedman College. The scheduling of
the M.A. examination should be done in consultation with the Director of
Graduate Studies and with M.A. Examination Committee Members.
M.A. Examination Committee
Students should form their M.A. Examination
Committee early in their final semester. The examining committee will consist
of at least three members, two of whom must be from the Anthropology Department;
the third member must be from a department other than Anthropology but can be a
member of the Division of Sociology faculty. Normally, the student’s adviser
serves as committee chair. Students are responsible for choosing their
committee members but should do so in close consultation with their Committee
chair. The Director of Graduate Studies will officially nominate this committee
to the Chair and to the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for approval.
The M.A Degree
Students must file for the degree early in their
final semester. Students should consult the Secretary for Graduate Studies
about deadlines and procedures.
Note: Graduate Student Support is
limited. Currently, Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Assistantships are
reserved for students in the Ph.D. Programs.
