Introduction to Literature and Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

An introduction to the history, theory, and practice of literature and medicine. The first two parts of the course focus on two important traditional approaches to literature and medicine: 1) the historical development of literary images of healers; and 2) illness as metaphor or theme in classic medical novels, as well as in selected contemporary literary works. The third section of the course surveys and samples the dominant theories and methods of using literature in medical education. Particular attention is given to the aesthetic and ethical models. Students have the opportunity to practice these various approaches by reading and discussing selected works of literature. Course grades will be determined by the quality of participation in class discussion of assigned readings (20%), two assigned essays about course readings (20% each), and a final course paper (40%). 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.