Guidelines for Case Studies
Culture and Medicine:
Healers and Healing Practices
Case Study Option--one medical
provider, two interviews, analysis
using tools and concepts of analysis
from class
In doing your case study it is important
and useful to FOCUS. For example,
suppose you have decided to interview
an acupuncturist with a private practice
with clients. A million questions may
come to mind. How does she know
where to put the needles? What is the
theory behind the placing of the
needles? What parts of the body are
connected to other parts? Does it work?
What types of ailments can be treated
with acupuncture? Why did she choose
to learn about acupuncture? What other
methods does she use? Can she
perform acupuncture on herself? Does
she feel TCM has more to offer than
clinical medicine, or that the two
systems are compatible or
complementary? Etc.
Topics that should emerge from your
ethnographic field research include but
are not limited to
Recruitment of healer
Training/education
Examination practices and
parameters
Diagnostic tools and practices
Classifications and types of
illness
Causation explanations for
illness
Social status of medical
practitioner
Patient/provider relationship
Process of treatment
Preparation for diagnosis,
treatment
This is a 7 page, double-spaced,
paper to be handed in hard copy.
You may a good idea of the topics that
you want to discuss before you conduct
your interviews and may be able to
direct the conversation in the direction
of the topics you had hoped to cover,
but, most importantly, be prepared for
the MEDICAL PRACTITIONER to direct
you. Also be flexible, maybe they would
prefer to talk about other aspects and
you can write about those instead.
Do not forget to apply concepts and
analytical tools from class, such as
world view, culture, ethnocentrism,
socio-economic forces, and holism.
TWO interviews or your work is
incomplete. Make it clear in your paper
that you did the two interviews and
how they differed from one another.
Also, be sure to explain how you made
the contact, how you were received,
and to provide the medical
practitioners name and business
information. Just remember that an
outline and a focus make the process
MUCH easier. A research question is
imperative, as it guides your work.
Three Brief Case Studies Option=three
interviews with medical practitioners
with two page write up of each focusing
on an aspect of health care and
medicinal practice and concepts. Please
apply the same guidelines as above
except that each practitioner may only
reveal one focus topic rather than three.
Have fun and buena suerte.