Umm Adnan,[i] like many women I met during my research on Down Syndrome and kinship in Jordan, was extremely protective of her son Adnan. The youngest of four, Adnan was constantly battling sickness. His health issues, in conjunction with Down Syndrome, marked the toddler as especially vulnerable, and Umm Adnan reacted by cultivating her own brand of fierce maternal …
Tag Archives: Education
Agitated children, turbulent trajectories: Towards a comparison between Europe and South America – a workshop report
This article describes the main discussions and contributions of the first workshop of the International Research Network on Disruptive Behaviours. The workshop was held at the “Centre for Research in Medicine, Science, Health, Mental Health and Society” (CERMES-3) in Paris, in January 2017. The second network workshop will be organised by the “Transdisciplinary Laboratory in Social Practices and …
Klamath Connection and Critical Histories/Activist Futures: The Role of Interdisciplinary Discourse in Addressing Racism and Inequity in STEM Education
The Klamath River flows from Southern Oregon to the Pacific Ocean through some of the most wild lands of the continental United States. It is home to diverse communities including American Indian Tribes, farmers, fishermen, and the most remote and geographically isolated campus of the California State University (CSU) system, Humboldt State University (HSU). The call for submissions for the …
More than Local Arrangements: How Conference Logistics Can Speak to Values
In the fall of 2016, my colleagues Tess Lanzarotta, Marco Ramos, and I met as the core organizers for the “Critical Histories, Activist Futures” conference to hammer out our individual roles. We decided that I would take on the role of head of local arrangements, managing all of the practical logistics for the conference: food, room reservations, registration, etc. “Local …
Teaching Medical Anthropology
In the decade since becoming a full time professor, medical anthropology has been one of my core courses. I have taught it seven times. Although the basic structure of the course remains similar, emphases have shifted over time. Perhaps I can best highlight the evolution of the course through a discussion of readings I use since readings are the backbone …
Global Health Education: When (and How) Global Health Issues Should Be Introduced to Youth
How do we foster empathy in our children? (Particularly empathy for people living in poverty – both in countries far away and neighborhoods closer to home?) We ask this question as parents and professors who are dedicated to global health research and education. As college professors, we are deeply invested in cultivating well-rounded global citizens who not only think about …