Paper short abstract:

Teaching “Anthropology of Health and Illness” is a challenge for both the teacher and the PhD students from a public health doctoral program. Basic theoretical concepts and fieldwork methodology are taught in order to enhance the students’ reflection, sensitivity and perception competences.

Paper long abstract:

Teaching " Anthropology of Health and Illness " to PhD students of the doctoral program public health at UMIT (an Austrian university) is giving a voice to anthropology within other courses. It is a challenge to the teacher, who works as an anthropologist in the Department of Public Health and Health Technology Assessment, and the students, who are part time students working in private or public health/disease/health care institutions. The students usually attend classes only for two-day seminars and in general, do not have anthropological knowledge. The challenge consists of how to relay theoretical concepts in such a way that will broaden their view of health and illness, improve their PhD projects, and enhance their general interest in health and life sciences. In this particular class, fieldwork is taught as part of a project. In addition, students' reflection, perception and sensitivity competences are enhanced through the analysis and discussion of studies. The students present their own PhD projects from an anthropological perspective, a perspective many students are surprised to discover and applicable to all topics where humans are involved. The transmission of anthropological knowledge about health and illness and the instructions of how to develop the competences are seen as fundamental for people with leadership positions in health-care institutions. People use these institutions for health treatment, care, information, prevention or promotion and bring in their thoughts, fears, feelings, health/illness behaviour.