Topic: ANSWER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN THE FORM OF A 2,000 WORD ESSAY

1. By focussing on at least two but no more than three examples of an infectious disease that may or may not have been covered in the unit, discuss what Paul Farmer means by the biosocial approach. 2. The principles underlying critical medical anthropology involve the analysis of both the axioms and institutions associated with a medical knowledge system. By comparing an example of a biomedical treatment system with an example of a nonWestern medical knowledge system discuss the similarities and differences between the two systems in terms of their respective axioms and institutions. 3. We should replace our concept of health with a concept of wellbeing. Discuss with reference to examples drawn from the unit. 4. In what ways are the issues associated with Indigenous Australian health indicative of the general issues of poverty and health? In framing your answer it is necessary to address features of Indigenous Australian health in terms of the arguments and at least one example from Paul Farmer's work. 5. Do you think that non-western or non-biomedical knowledge systems should be taken seriously when the limitations of the western or biomedical paradigm have been exposed? Does this suggest a hierarchy of appropriate knowledge that privileges biomedicine and treats other medical knowledge systems as only selectively appropriate? In answering these questions, please discuss an example of sickness where the biomedical approach and a non-biomedical approach are relevant. 6. By comparing a non-western medical knowledge system with the western or biomedical discuss the proposition that all medical knowledge systems are cultural systems.

ADVICE
The secret to successful essay writing in this and any unit designed and taught by Rohan Bastin is to treat the writing task as an opportunity to display the work one has done over the entire unit. Students need to focus, therefore, on the breadth of weekly readings as well as the set text by Paul Farmer and demonstrate in their essay the extent of their application to the unit as a whole. The rationale behind this is because the unit as a whole is designed as a kind of essay. By this I mean it is designed as developing an argument (making a case) that has a logical and coherent structure (i.e., a beginning, middle and an end). It is for this reason that the essay carries a weight of 40% of the final mark. One's starting point for the essay should thus be like one's starting point when revising for an exam: what was this unit about?

ASS206 & ASS306 Essay 2013

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It follows from this that the students who work systematically and consistently throughout the entire unit will have a wealth of material to choose from when writing their essays because they did the following:

Read the study guide modules Followed the lectures Read and discussed the weekly readings Prepared for the quizzes

Students whose application/commitment is less than that will, quite simply, not do so well. It also follows from this that students who contact the unit chair to check that they are on the right track with their essays (such as their choice of examples) are not able to make an informed decision on their own because they have not done the work. I am more than happy to answer questions about the essay. However, before you ask any questions, please take this advice on board and please ask yourself how much work have I done? Please note that we mark across the range and that a pass in the essay has a mark between 50% and 100%. Please note too that it is possible to fail the essay, but pass the unit Please consult the essay marking criteria and appreciate that it is possible to earn just under half of the marks by meeting the appropriate stylistic criteria.

REFERENCING
We prefer that you use the Harvard system or the Oxford system. We ask that you do NOT use APA.

WORD COUNT
2, 000 WORDS +/- 10%

DUE DATE
14th October by 11.59pm in the CloudDeakin Essay Drop Box (only)

ASS206 & ASS306 Essay 2013

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