Teaching medical Anthropology to undergraduate students: an experience

Abstract

In this paper we develop a reflection on teaching anthropology to health professionals based on the experience of teaching Medical Anthropology to undergraduate students at Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Federal University of São Carlos). The discipline of Medical Anthropology aims to introduce theory and research in Anthropology, and proposes to debate research into health phenomena in anthropology, so as to better introduce anthropological research and, mainly, promote a reflection on cultural differences and professional exercise in the area of health. This experience raises issues concerning the value of social and human sciences, especially anthropology, in the education of those professionals, as well as their acceptance or rejection of these sciences, in order to promote a reflection on the way they perceive their own professional practice. Based on a course that has been taught for some years, we discuss the debates we can propose between the social sciences and the field of health, and their impact on the education of those specialists.