Introduction to Arts in Health

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of arts in health, tracing its development from ancient healing rituals to contemporary programs in hospitals, community centers, and public health initiatives. Students will examine philosophical foundations and cross-cultural histories of healing — music, movement, storytelling, visual symbolism and performance — as well as the methodological and epistemological shifts that have brought the arts into dialogue with modern healthcare. Drawing on perspectives from performance studies, anthropology, philosophy and the health sciences, the course explores how creative practices have been used to restore balance, foster resilience and generate meaning across time and cultures, and how these practices inform today’s evidence-based models and professional standards. Through lectures, case studies, guest speakers and participatory activities, students will engage with both the enduring questions of art’s relationship to well-being and the current best practices, ethical considerations and research methods shaping the field. As the entry point for advanced courses in Arts in Health programming, interactive design and practicum experiences, this course provides students with the critical vocabulary, historical perspective and conceptual frameworks needed to engage creatively and responsibly in the design and delivery of arts-based health initiatives.