Syllabi: Multiculturalism

INSTITUTION: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine

PRESENTER: Jennifer Mahon, Kent State University
Phone: (330)672-3585
Email: jamman234@juno.com

PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Martin Kohn, Ph.D., Director of the Human Values in Medicine Program (email: mfk@neoucom.EDU)

ENROLLMENT: BS/MD; selective; limit: 12

SEMESTER: Spring 2000
April 18, 20, 25, 27, May 2, 4, 9, 11 (Tuesday/Thursday afternoons, 1:00-5:00 p.m.)

LEARNING GOALS:

To encourage, model, and teach students the concepts related to multiculturalism

To enable students to challenge their own assumptions regarding human diversity and to
understand their own culture and that of others

To provide students with an environment in which they are comfortable discussing the issues surrounding multiculturalism

To understand the value of multiculturalism in the medical field.

OUTLINE: In order to achieve the above goals, this course is designed around a framework of readings, video, self-reflection, discussion, and experiential learning.

Tuesday, April 18: Why multiculturalism? Do we need it? What does it have to do with medicine?

What is culture?

Getting to know thy self

McClelland’s sources of cultural identify

What does it mean to be politically correct? to be prejudiced? racist?

Video: La Vida de Maria

Thursday, April 20: U.S. Mainstream culture and alternative cultures

Cultural specificity vs. cultural generals

Readings:

Heath, S.B. Ways with Words. (1983). New York: Cambridge University Press

Hsu, L.K. (1986). A blueprint of "United States Culture." In C. Bennett, Multicultural
Education, (pp. 17-20). Boston: Allyn and Bacon

WEEK 2

Tuesday, April 25: Examining Voice and Oppression

Video: The Chameleon

Short readings (to be distributed Week 1):

Baldwin, J. (1961). In search of a majority. In Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a
Native Son. New York: Dial Press.

Hansson, C. & Liden, K. (1991). Liza and Family. In C.J. Verburg (ed.). Ourselves Among
Others: Cross Cultural Readings for Writers. Boston: Bedford Books.

Lake, R. (1990). An Indian Father’s Plea. In Tozer, et al. (Eds.). School and Society: Educational
Practice as Social Expression. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Thursday, April 27: Examining Privilege

Video: The Shadow of Hate

Readings:

McIntosh, P. (1989). Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Journal of Peace and Freedom.
July/August.

Ogbu, J. (1995). Immigrant and Involuntary Minorities. In J. Banks (ed.). Handbook of
Multicultural Education. New York: McGraw-Hill.

WEEK 3

Tuesday, May 2:

Personal experience papers due; discussion in class

Language diversity exercise

Video: Lost in the Interpretation

Thursday, May 4:

Readings:

Waxler-Morrison, et al. (1990). Cross-Cultural Caring: A handbook for health
professionals in western Canada. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press.

Klein, A.M. et al. (1978). Culture, Illness and Care: Clinical lessons from anthropologic
and cross cultural research. Annals of Internal Medicine, 88(2), 251-258.

Galanti, G.A. (1991). Caring for patients from different cultures: case studies from
American hospitals. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

WEEK 4:

Tuesday, May 9:

Mini-ethnographies due; discussion in class

Epidemiology and culture — to be specific or not to be specific, that is the question.

Using the LEARN and BATHE models

Video: Racial and Cultural Bias in Medicine

Reading:

Like, R.C. and Steiner, R.P. (1986). Medical anthropology and the family physician. Family
Medicine 18(2), 87-92.

Thursday, May 11: Where do we go from here? Reconstruction and self.

REQUIREMENTS:

1) Send via snail mail/fax/email a brief autobiography answering the following questions; this must be received no later than April 10th.

What is your full name? Do your names have any meaning? Do you have a nickname?

Where did your name (first or family) come from? Does it have special meaning to your family?

How old are you?

What is your first language spoken?

What is your racial, ethnic and cultural background? Do you practice any other medicine but the western model? Do you have any special abilities/disabilities?

In what geographic area(s) did you grow up? What was its (their) racial and cultural makeup?

Why did you decide to become a doctor? How do you think culture relates to medicine?

What incidents in your past led you to the awareness of racism (or any other "isms" such as ageism, chauvinism, homophobia, etc.)?

What events in your life have provided you with intercultural or interracial experiences?

How do you define political correctness? Do you think it is necessary?

2) Response papers (one page) which details your reactions to the readings, videos, and class discussions. These will be collected at the beginning of each class.

3) One paper which details your experience in a situation in which you were the minority. This experience must occur during this term. Further guidelines will be given at a later date. It should be approximately 2-3 pages in length.

4) A mini-ethnography (2-3 pages) in which you interview a patient from another culture (first or second generation). Questions to be determined at later date.

HVM CREDITS: 20