LATAM 3160
Cultures of Health in Latin America
This course is a survey of the cultural and political-economic aspects of health, illness, and embodied difference in Latin America. We will approach these themes from an interdisciplinary perspective with an emphasis on anthropology and history, exploring how local, national, regional, and global factors affect health and healthcare and how people experience and respond to them. Topics will include interactions between traditional healing practices and biomedicine; the lasting impacts of eugenic sciences on contemporary ideas about race and disability; the unequal impacts of epidemic disease; Indigenous cosmologies and healing systems; the politics of access to healthcare; the cultural and political specificities of reproductive health; and the intersections of race, gender, ethnicity, class, and bodily capacities in the pursuit of well-being. This course is designed for students of all levels interested in health and/or Latin American cultures. It will be taught in English.
Instructors
Eliza Williamson, Martin Mejia, Paco Tijerina, Pili Cuairan Chavarria
Reviews
Dr. Mejia is a great professor and an even better human being. I've already taken three classes with him, and they're all worth it. One of the best professors you'll have at WashU.
4/17/2026
Martin's lectures were very insightful and engaging, and so much of it is due to the evident passion and care he has for the material and his students. There were weekly readings that were a bit lengthy at times, but never too difficult. Overall a great instructor that I couldn't recommend more.
2/26/2026
The coolest professor I ever had! He engages the whole classroom in the topic of discussion. Quizzes can be challenging at the beginning, but his lectures are awesome and very inspiring, so they will make studying easier. Martin is a professor who truly loves teaching. I highly recommend taking Cultures of Health in Latin America with him.
12/24/2025
2 or less hrs/week
Incredibly easy class while also being interesting. attendance was graded
1/12/2025
2 or less hrs/week
This class is very chill, attendance is just very very important. You get two unexcused absences but the professor is very understanding if you email him explaining why you are missing class. There are lots of small assignments to keep track of but they are very straightforward.
12/19/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Attendance is super important for this class. Make sure you complete the readings and get the assignments done on time and you will have an A in the class. Content is very interesting and class discussions are insightful.
5/25/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Not super hard, there's a lot of little assignments that you have to remember to do but if you do them then you'll get a 100
5/23/2024
Super nice and clearly very passionate. Lectures sometimes a tad dry but super interesting if you pay attention. Very cool course content.
3/19/2024
She seems really cool and does awesome research. Class was pretty light and her lectures could have been a bit more engaging.
12/31/2023
You can tell she's dedicated to her research and students and wants to share her passions. Not a super great lecturer though, she can be kind of hard to stay engaged with. Nothing really stands out.
12/20/2023
She seems interested in her subject but is just starting out teaching so definitely needs to figure out her style and presence. Lectures are not very engaging and she doesn't have much control over the class. A bit disorganized. Moderately accessible but not that involved in terms of working with/responding to individual students' concerns.
12/20/2023
Dr. Williamson is so so nice and genuinely seems to care about her research, class subject, and so students. That being said her lectures are so monotonous and hard to follow. Tons of reading every single class.
11/2/2023
Dr. Williamson is a great professor who is very passionate about anthropology and ethnographic research! She really cares about everyone and has a comforting teaching style. Readings are long, but they are always interesting and go by fast. She is super sweet, and I'm definitely taking another class with her.
12/17/2022
Dr. Williamson seems nice, but she's probably the worst lecturer I've had at WashU so far. Her lectures are dry and slow and she seems extremely unsure of herself, often taking long pauses to think about what she's going to say next, even though she has her lecture notes in front of her and seems to be reading off of them.
9/8/2022