Introduction to Medical Humanities
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Course Title
Introduction to Medical Humanities
Course Description
This course is a broad introduction to medical humanities, an interdisciplinary field that engages critically with various aspects of health care, such as the concepts, practices, values, and experiences of patients and clinicians. We will discuss topics in four main areas of medical humanities: history, literature, philosophy, and religion. Many topics will be addressed, such as how medical practice has changed over time; our ideas of health, illness, disease, pain, and suffering; the roles of stories in clinical care and patient experiences; how money and power influence medicine; aging and dying; and what doctors should know about religion and spirituality. We will give special attention to how medicine, health, and illness are portrayed in fiction, poetry, memoir, and movies, and learn how to do close readings of those texts.
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Instructor Name
Course Topics
Disciplinary Perspectives
Geographic Location
Houston
Instructional Modality
Institutional Location
Title
Introduction to Medical Humanities