Medical Humanities (MHU)

MHU 2013. Introduction to Medical Humanities. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Survey of the human aspects of medical practice as addressed through the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Examines concepts of illness and wellness as influenced by the study of history, psychology, cross-cultural variation, ethics, and aesthetics. Emphasis on systems of meaning, representation, reflective practice, and the dynamics of patient-provider interactions. Provides a history of the field of medical humanities and outlines current and future career paths. Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.

MHU 2033. Data, Medicine, and Technology. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the ethical and epistemic issues emerging from the use of data and technology in medical contexts. Topics covered include the applications of artificial intelligence technology in medicine and healthcare, the promises and perils of technology in medicine, and the role humanism plays in navigating the demands of science, technology, and ethics in medicine. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27.

MHU 3013. Inequality and Health. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course will introduce students to the ways in which healthcare can form the axis at which types of inequality intersect, with an emphasis on the ways in which healthcare practitioners and institutions can both perpetuate and ameliorate inequality. Students will gain a deeper theoretical understanding of the ways in which healthcare both reflects and shapes societal norms, especially surrounding race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, and poverty. The course may be a survey or it may have a more particular focus, e.g. mental health, hospitalization, the immune system. Course Fees: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.

MHU 3023. Epidemics in History: Black Death to COVID-19. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines the social and cultural history of epidemics from the Black Death plague pandemic of the fourteenth century to the COVID-19 pandemic in the present. By exploring a series of case studies, it considers the short- and long-term ramifications of public health crises across time and geographic space. This course provides the analytical skills necessary to evaluate better the place of disease and medicine in modern culture. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27.

MHU 3033. Mental Health Ethics on the Borders. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the ethical dilemmas emerging in the context of the global mental health crisis. Themes covered include a comparison between the understanding of mental health in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Developed (WEIRD) societies and Non-Western countries, the difference in schizophrenia recovery rates in developed and developing countries, and the globalization of some mental disorders that have emerged in the context of the US but are now pervasive around the world. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27.

MHU 3043. Language, Culture and the Self. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the tightly woven relationship between language, culture, and personal identity through an investigation of scientific, philosophical, linguistic, and anthropological approaches to the self. Topics covered include examination of the connection between language, linguistic competency, cultural identity, and immigration; prestige and stigma associated with languages and accents; language-related implicit bias and epistemic injustice in contexts of health; and the edifying role of language on the self and flourishing. This course is team-taught by a group of humanities professors. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27.

MHU 4813. Seminar in Medical Humanities. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: MHU 2013 and Junior or Senior standing. Examines current theories, critiques, and applied approaches in medical humanities. Reviews case studies exemplifying contrasting or competing definitions of health, wellness, illness, embodiment, disease, and disability. Sample topics include body image, diagnosis, narrative medicine, and professionalization. May be taught from different perspectives depending upon faculty expertise and interests. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48; DL01 $75.

MHU 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: MHU 2013, Medical Humanities major, and permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the School Director, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. Course Fee: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.

MHU 4931. Internship in Medical Humanities. (0-0) 1 Credit Hour.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor required. Supervised experience relevant to medical humanities within selected community organizations. May be repeated for credit. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through Internship in Medical Humanities. Course Fees: LRLF $10.27; STLF $6.16.

MHU 4932. Internship in Medical Humanities. (0-0) 2 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor required. Supervised experience relevant to medical humanities within selected community organizations. May be repeated for credit. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through Internship in Medical Humanities. Course Fees: LRLF $10.27; STLF $12.32.

MHU 4933. Internship in Medical Humanities. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor required. Supervised experience relevant to medical humanities within selected community organizations. May be repeated for credit. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through Internship in Medical Humanities. Course Fees: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.

MHU 4953. Special Topics in Medical Humanities. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours will apply to a bachelor’s degree. Course Fees: LRLF $10.27; STLF $18.48.