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Enhancement Medicine and the American Self, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston (McGovern)
What do makeup and house-hunting have in common with Adderall and transgender therapy? What do voice lessons and tattoos share with antidepressants and face lifts? How do body piercing and weightlifting overlap with growth hormones and voluntary amputation? Like the broader culture, American medicine sometimes encourages the reshaping of identity, often as part of the pursuit of happiness. This is enhancement medicine—clinical interventions for persons not necessarily sick but who want to feel better about themselves: stronger, more attractive, more confident, and, above all, fulfilled. This discussion-based course will explore the relationship between enhancement medicine and the cultural images and ideas that shape our quests to be “better than well.”
UTH, Houston (McGovern) also sponsors blue book, or extracurricular, electives each semester. These electives are designed to supplement and enrich the medical school’s curriculum, exposing students to a range of topics related to the humanities and ethics. Some electives are faculty-led; however, a growing number of these courses are designed by medical students who have identified topics of interest or gaps that can be addressed through the medical humanities. Relevant courses that use literature include: Introduction to Medical Humanities, Humanities in Dermatology, and Humanities in Film. For more information, see https://med.uth.edu/mcgovern/teaching/bluebook-electives/
This information has been collected for the Post-Discipline Online Syllabus Database. The database explores the use of literature by schools of professional education in North America. It forms part of a larger project titled Post-Discipline: Literature, Professionalism, and the Crisis of the Humanities, led by Dr Merve Emre with the assistance of Dr Hayley G. Toth. You can find more information about the project at https://postdiscipline.english.ox.ac.uk/. Data was collected and accurate in 2021/22.
