Perspectives on Health, Disease and Healing

Course Description:

The maintenance of health and avoidance of disease are such ineluctable facts of human life as to have made the art and science of healing an integral part of most societies. This course will explore three essential features of these activities: 1) health and disease; 2) suffering and dying: and 3) the art and science of healing. Students will utilize the perspectives of a number of different disciplines, including anthropology, biomedical science, economics, epidemiology, history, literature, philosophy, religion, and sociology, to gain a broader understanding of the many facets of health, disease and healing. The course sets the stage for later course work for students pursuing a medical humanities and health studies minor, and provides an introduction to this rich and dynamic filed for students of the health professions or those seeking to understand medicine and health in a wider context.