Deep Depression and Culture in Anglophone Societies

Final Research Paper Project (Outline and Paper): Students will complete a culture and mental health research project for the course. This project will involve choosing a mental health condition that has a culturally specific manifestation (idiom of distress or culture bound syndrome) or a mental health condition (broadly defined) that develops from, or is shaped by, a social/cultural/behavioral process. Students will complete a detailed outline of their paper and complete a final paper on their chosen topic. The outline and paper will reflect a detailed review of the literature focused on the mental health problem, a review of culturally-specific aspects of the problem, and potential (culturally appropriate) methods of addressing the problem. Example titles of projects are ‘Globalization and farmer suicides among rural Kenyan men, ‘The legacy of colonialism on substance abuse in the Caribbean’, or ‘Suicide among Information Technology workers in Bangalore, India’.

The final paper will be due June 1st at 11:59pm online via Canvas. For undergraduates, the paper will be 10 pages in length, double-spaced with 1-inch margins, using 11 or 12 point font. Please use JAMA style for this paper. The final paper is worth 25% of your overall grade. A grading rubric will be made available on the course website.