Medical Anthropology
What does it mean to be healthy and who gets to decide?
Our Medical Anthropology program explores how complex forces — from cultural difference to political division — shape who gets sick and who gets care. We specialize in preparing you to think critically and compassionately about health and medicine in diverse settings. Through case studies, discussions, and hands-on projects, we’ll examine the lived experience of suffering and the social body. You’ll gain more than just new knowledge about Medical Anthropology as a college major; you’ll also walk away with new perspectives on health, medicine, and humanity.
Instructors
- Martha King
Instructor: Emily Curtin
Emily Curtin is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her academic work explores the intersections of the body, gender, health, and fitness culture, with particular interests in post-Soviet transformation, Belarus, capitalism, and the relationship between technology and politics. Drawing on her specializations in sociocultural anthropology, medical anthropology, and ethnography, Curtin brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of how bodies, identities, and health are shaped by broader cultural and social forces. She earned her Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center, her M.A. from University College London, and her B.A. from Wesleyan University.