Curing and Killing: The Anthropology of Shamanism. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours

Catalog description

In this course, we will analyze the practice of shamanism globally with a specific focus on Amazonia. Class materials will include ethnographic case studies, focused articles, and documentary films. The course will examine how peoples in shamanic cultures conceptualize and experience illness, how they diagnose the ailments that afflict them, and how they use shamanic curing to return to a state of health. We will also discuss the psychopharmacology of plants used in shamanism, the roles of shamans in political movements, and how contemporary non-Indigenous people in North America and Europe have incorporated shamanic practices, instruments, and hallucinogens into their spiritual traditions. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.