the contributions made by medical anthropologists of different theoretical orientations to the understanding of selected health issues.

Each student is required to conduct library research on any health-related
topic of his/her interest and to submit a final paper. The main goal of this research project is to
examine the contributions made by medical anthropologists of different theoretical
orientations to the understanding of selected health issues. Students should discuss the topic of
their research with the professor before Feb. 29th. After the topic has been approved, students
should select and critically analyze a minimum of six articles written by anthropologists and
published in peer-reviewed journals (see list of possible journals and of potential topics at the
end of the syllabus). The paper should include an introduction to the problem under review
(including statistics), a description of the work of anthropologists of at least two different
theoretical orientations (e.g., evolutionary vs. political economy), a critical discussion of
weaknesses and strengths of that work, and a conclusion that summarizes the specific
contributions made by the anthropologists to the understanding of the issue. The paper should be
8-10 pages (excluding bibliography), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides, and
should be submitted on May 2nd.