Examines the nature of disruptions in contemporary societies, including those disruptions that occur at the level of the individual, such as illness, and those that are community-wide, such as natural disasters and riots. Moves from an examination of disruption from a historical perspective to an exploration of disruption in developing and industrial societies, such as warfare and epidemics, and addresses how disruptions of various sorts affect everyday life. Emphasis is on the relevance of an anthropological perspective for the study of disruption. Developmental and Cultural Issues in Aging. Course covers developmental theory and research in aging.
Emphasis is on anthropological, sociological, and psychological studies.
Current issues in aging with an emphasis on implications for health care are discussed. Examines US society from a cultural models perspective. The course explores the folk model construct and overviews the work of cognitive anthropologists in repackaging folk models as cognitive constructs, called cultural models. Traces the evolution of the notion of cultural values in symbolic anthropology and the relationship between cultural values and cultural models. The cultural models construct is utilized in analyzing various aspects of US society.