Medical Cineforum, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Movies have a powerful influence on popular culture. Doctors are among the professionals most frequently portrayed in movies. Hence, cinematic depictions of physicians have the potential to affect public expectations of physicians, and the doctor-patient relationship. The portrayals of doctors in movies at times may be inspiring, at other times disturbing, but are always thought provoking. Empathic physicians will want to know how their patients perceive them and what expectations they bring to the encounter. Through this course, students will explore key themes underlying the portrayal of doctors in the movies, and by doing so, show students aspects of the physician’s persona with which they may otherwise be unfamiliar, and which affect the public perception of our profession. This course will focus on nine movies. Using a written guide, students will independently view the movies, and participate in subsequent discussions led by the course directors. Selective only. Selectives in the Medical Humanities consist of semester-long experiences in which students are able to explore various course offerings relating the humanities to the practice of medicine. Individual Selectives courses meet six times per semester and sessions are designed to be interactive in nature. Students are required to take two Selectives courses during Phase 1. These courses are designed to enrich the educational experience and provide a more well-rounded background to medical students, balancing the art and the science of medicine. 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.