From classroom to community: New medical anthropology course immerses students in real-world research on harm reduction
It’s one thing to discuss harm reduction in a lecture hall. It’s another to sit across from someone whose life has been shaped by addiction and listen to their story.
Last fall, students in Anthropology 325/425 did just that, partnering with local health and human service organization The Centers to conduct in-depth interviews with clients of its syringe services program. All nine students in the course are continuing the project this semester through independent studies—analyzing the data from interviews and presenting their findings in a report for The Centers.
Anthropology professor Lee Hoffer, PhD, created Anthropology 325/425:
Community-Based Research in Medical Anthropology, to give students what many undergraduates rarely experience: the chance to conduct a full, real-world social science research project from start to finish.
Hoffer, whose research focuses on illegal drug use, addiction and harm reduction, created the course in response to sustained student interest in his work. Each spring, he teaches “Illegal Drugs and Society,” which regularly enrolls upward of 70 students.
“This class is designed to give students a chance to do a community-based study, from conception through data collection and analysis, to write-up and presentation,” he said.
Unlike traditional research methods courses, ANTH 325/425 centers on active fieldwork. Students develop interview questions, navigate consent and data protocols, conduct interviews, and, in following semesters, prepare for analysis and reporting. The course emphasizes that community-based research is dynamic, relational and often unpredictable.
Lessons from the field
Fourth-year medical anthropology and biochemistry student Matthew Sutherland, who took Hoffer’s “Illegal Drugs & Society” as a first-year student, said the applied nature of the course has been essential.
“Taking part in a real research project is less stressful and more rewarding,” he said. “I’m actually applying the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my college career rather than memorizing information.”
That application, however, comes with real constraints. Students must work within limited timeframes, coordinate schedules and accept that interviews are not always guaranteed.
“The most challenging aspect of community-based research is the timing of everything,” Sutherland said, noting that he sometimes visited The Centers multiple times before recruiting a participant and completing an interview.
Hoffer considers those challenges part of the learning process. “When you’re doing community-based health research, there are a lot of logistical issues that have nothing to do with research methods,” he said. “Students have to learn how to navigate those realities.”
But the most powerful lessons, students say, come from the interviews themselves. Sutherland described them as the most rewarding part of the course.
“I love interacting with people who have such a different life story and perspective from mine,” he said. “Each interview challenges my worldview—not just about drug policy, but in general.”
For fourth-year medical anthropology student Alexus Tang—who works as an EMT while completing her undergraduate degree—the course has deepened her understanding of patients she often sees only briefly in emergency settings.
“In the emergency room, we treat the body, but we don’t often get to know much about the patient,” she said. “This research helped me see the bigger picture. It reworked my perspective on illicit drug-related emergencies and made me a better caregiver.”
Beyond subject-matter knowledge, the course is designed to build skills that translate across disciplines and career paths—from healthcare and public policy to social services, education and research.
“This course has provided me with invaluable knowledge about how to perform anthropological fieldwork,” said Tang. “I feel confident that I could work on a research project professionally after this experience.”
Hoffer hopes the course will become a regular offering and expand to new community partners. This fall, he plans to run a similar project with MetroHealth, using the same model of student-led evaluation.
“My hope is that students come away understanding what this type of research actually entails—and what it means to engage with communities,” said Hoffer. “That’s something you can’t really learn any other way.”
