This course caught me a little off guard. Not only was it my first anthropology class, but it was also one of the very few online classes I had taken, so the combination of the two definitely had me a little more hesitant. What was really interesting was that I was overseas during a portion of this class, I since a completely different culture was right in front of me, it was easy to apply some of the lessons we were learning in lecture. And not only did coming back to the United States make me more aware of the significance of our culture, this class also gave abstract ideas a more concrete and credible definitions. I find it much easier to label what i'm seeing since I've taken this class because it always for so many different vantage points to be incorporated into one complete perspective.
Since my plan is to one day become a doctor, I will definitely be applying and incorporating all the different approaches I learned in this class. And even if i didn't, just being aware that they exist will help me better empathize and treat every single patient I will end up seeing, because these approaches apply to everyone. Culture has such a significant impact on the way we treat ourselves and our lifestyles that i'm surprised that it isn't already incorporated into what is considered medicine today. This class ultimately taught me how to better empathize not only with patients, but with people. To better understand the different backgrounds people may come from, and how those backgrounds have an influential standing on ones ideas of how they perceive the world.
One really interesting and surprising documentary from this class I was happy to watch, and now recommend as a must watch on any netflix account is the documentary called "The Horse Boy". I was able to relate somewhat to this documentary because I have a cousin in my immediate family who suffers from autism, and found the approach used here very unorthodox, but extremely interesting. I enjoyed very much watching not only the literal journey through the mountains to the Shamans, but also the metaphoric journey of the child who suffered from autism and his effect on his parents. The simple accomplishment of being able to go to the bathroom was monumental in their world, and I was very happy to see. Before this class, I never really thought how significant culture can be to medicine. Because we live in the United States, I assumed that the healthcare here is one of the most advanced systems in the world, and if we hadn't thought about it then it probably isn't worth looking into. What i didn't realize is that amongst all these different cultures are different traditions and customs and healthcare that has worked for generations at a time, that has worked to keep those populations alive and thriving. I was naive to think that western medicine was the apex of healthcare, and even more naive to think that it should be measured comparatively. I now realize a little bit better that treatments fall under a spectrum, all worth considering within ones own culture and beliefs in order to treat them in the best way possible. What the patient believes will work for them will work for them based on their beliefs is not something any physician or anyone can tamper with, because then all trust is lost and your care as a person diminishes.
I believe that anthropology should be a pre-requisite for many if not all college students, whether they are going into the medical field or any other major, because you not only learn a lot about people, but also about yourself in the sense of how you interpret those people and why. Often times we lose ourselves in our everyday lives that we forget there is quite literally a entire world out there for us to explore, to appreciate, and to interpret without any predisposition. I hope to carry these approaches in my back pocket for years to come.
Thanks for the great class.
Since my plan is to one day become a doctor, I will definitely be applying and incorporating all the different approaches I learned in this class. And even if i didn't, just being aware that they exist will help me better empathize and treat every single patient I will end up seeing, because these approaches apply to everyone. Culture has such a significant impact on the way we treat ourselves and our lifestyles that i'm surprised that it isn't already incorporated into what is considered medicine today. This class ultimately taught me how to better empathize not only with patients, but with people. To better understand the different backgrounds people may come from, and how those backgrounds have an influential standing on ones ideas of how they perceive the world.
One really interesting and surprising documentary from this class I was happy to watch, and now recommend as a must watch on any netflix account is the documentary called "The Horse Boy". I was able to relate somewhat to this documentary because I have a cousin in my immediate family who suffers from autism, and found the approach used here very unorthodox, but extremely interesting. I enjoyed very much watching not only the literal journey through the mountains to the Shamans, but also the metaphoric journey of the child who suffered from autism and his effect on his parents. The simple accomplishment of being able to go to the bathroom was monumental in their world, and I was very happy to see. Before this class, I never really thought how significant culture can be to medicine. Because we live in the United States, I assumed that the healthcare here is one of the most advanced systems in the world, and if we hadn't thought about it then it probably isn't worth looking into. What i didn't realize is that amongst all these different cultures are different traditions and customs and healthcare that has worked for generations at a time, that has worked to keep those populations alive and thriving. I was naive to think that western medicine was the apex of healthcare, and even more naive to think that it should be measured comparatively. I now realize a little bit better that treatments fall under a spectrum, all worth considering within ones own culture and beliefs in order to treat them in the best way possible. What the patient believes will work for them will work for them based on their beliefs is not something any physician or anyone can tamper with, because then all trust is lost and your care as a person diminishes.
I believe that anthropology should be a pre-requisite for many if not all college students, whether they are going into the medical field or any other major, because you not only learn a lot about people, but also about yourself in the sense of how you interpret those people and why. Often times we lose ourselves in our everyday lives that we forget there is quite literally a entire world out there for us to explore, to appreciate, and to interpret without any predisposition. I hope to carry these approaches in my back pocket for years to come.
Thanks for the great class.
SOURCES:
Image (What is culture?): http://socialstudies.pppst.com/banner_culture.gif
Image (The Horse Boy): http://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/04/22/76/the-horse-boy-372043l.jpg
Image (What is culture?): http://socialstudies.pppst.com/banner_culture.gif
Image (The Horse Boy): http://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/movie/04/22/76/the-horse-boy-372043l.jpg