Health, Illness, and the Human Condition

Catalog description

This survey course explores the human experience of health and illness from a combined social/behavioral science and humanities perspective. Topics may include the following: the body in art, science, and history; models of normality and disease; family, patient, and practitioner stories; adaptation to illness; health care relationships; principles and psychology of health care ethics; cultural aspects of end-of-life; identity, meaning, and mental health in health care professionals. Reading, writing, and discussion will give students in all majors a set of skills and knowledge for understanding individuals and groups in the context of health and illness. Texts include fiction; poetry; graphic memoir; film; essays; and social science research and theory. Students will experiment with various writing genres to understand and challenge disciplinary boundaries, and creative projects will provide experience with diverse methods and types of knowledge. The arena of health and illness presents a valuable opportunity for integrating social/behavioral science and humanities in analyzing and solving real world problems. Despite technological advances, health care is essentially a human-to-human endeavor, so the humanities and social sciences are necessary to complement biomedical perspectives. This course provides transferable skills and a framework for addressing similar challenges and opportunities in a range of fields that students may encounter in the future.