Medical Humanities Overview
Medical Humanities brings a holistic perspective to the study of health, moving beyond a purely biological framework to consider the patient as a whole person. Drawing upon the analytical tools and insights of the humanities and social sciences, the minor provides an interdisciplinary understanding of the social and cultural dimensions of health and illness.
While traditional pre-health curricula excel at preparing students in the biomedical sciences, this minor addresses a complementary and vital need: to understand the human experience at the center of all healthcare. Courses explore the complex interplay of cultural, ethical, historical, political, and social forces that shape medical knowledge, clinical practice, and the lived experience of illness. Topics of investigation include the doctor-patient relationship, the authority of the physician, changing conceptions of disease, healthcare policy, communication aspects of healthcare and the patient experience, and the profound impact of factors like race, class, and gender on health outcomes.
This minor is of particular value to students planning to attend medical, nursing, pharmacy, or public health schools. Students pursuing careers in social work, counseling, law, journalism, public policy, and healthcare administration will also find that the minor equips them with the critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and cultural competency essential for leadership and effective practice in their respective professions. Regardless of major or career path, the Medical Humanities minor prepares students for engaged and compassionate citizenship.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following Foundation courses: | 3 | |
| ANTH 225 | Medical Anthropology: Cultural Perspectives on Health and Illness | |
| or MDFL 255 | Medical Humanities – The Intersection of Language, Culture, and Health | |
| or PHIL 226 | Medical Ethics | |
| or SOCG 334 | Medical Sociology | |
| Select 15 credits of the following, in addition to your selected Foundation course, such that at least three disciplines are included and at least 9 of the 18 total credits are 300-level or higher: 1 | 15 | |
| ANTH 211 | Race in Global Perspective | |
| ANTH 212 | Anthropology of Gender | |
| ANTH 225 | Medical Anthropology: Cultural Perspectives on Health and Illness | |
| ANTH 321 | Anthropology of Food | |
| ANTH 330 | Ethnobotany | |
| ANTH 346 | Anthropology and Psychology | |
| COMM 378 | Health Communication | |
| CPRD 108 | Peacefulness: Here and Now | |
| ENGL 202D | Writing about Medicine | |
| ENGL 284 | Fictions of Disability | |
| ENGL 308 | Writing Studies and Healing | |
| ENGL 348 | Literature of the Great War | |
| ENGL 384 | Disability and Literature | |
| GERM 333 | Women, War and Psychology: German Literature and Culture between WWI and WWII | |
| GERM 411 | Representations of Death | |
| GERM 413 | Remembering the Holocaust | |
| GERM 415 | German in the Sciences | |
| MDFL 255 | Medical Humanities – The Intersection of Language, Culture, and Health | |
| PHIL 160 | Introduction to Ethics | |
| PHIL 225 | Practical Ethics | |
| PHIL 226 | Medical Ethics | |
| PHIL 283 | Hinduism | |
| PHIL 284 | Buddhism | |
| PHIL 231N | Philosophy and AI | |
| PSCI 375 | Gender and Public Policy | |
| PSYC 211 | Psychopathology | |
| PSYC 233 | Adult Development | |
| PSYC 339 | Health Psychology | |
| PSYC 348 | Anthropology and Psychology | |
| PSYC 349 | Psychology of Human Sexuality | |
| PSYC 351 | Positive Psychology | |
| PSYC 352 | Cultural Psychology | |
| RELG 108 | Peacefulness: Here and Now | |
| RELG 283 | Hinduism | |
| RELG 284 | Buddhism | |
| RELG 309 | Death and Dying in Early Christianity | |
| RELG 350 | Happiness: Here and Now | |
| SOCG 215 | Gender and Society | |
| SOCG 300 | Socg of Aging | |
| SOCG 302 | Sociology of the Body | |
| SOCG 320 | Food Justice | |
| SOCG 332 | Introduction to Social Welfare | |
| SOCG 334 | Medical Sociology | |
| SOCG 335 | Global Perspectives on Health and Illness | |
| SOCG 355 | Death and Society | |
| SOCG 354 | Environmental Sociology | |
| SOCG 400 | Sociology of the Body | |
| SPAN 321 | Culture of Service and Social Action in the Hispanic World | |
| SPAN 394 | Spanish for Medical Purposes | |
| Internships, Individual Studies (491/492) and special topics courses in a humanities or social science discipline as approved by the program director. | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
1
Foundation-designated courses can count as electives in the minor if not taken to fulfill the Foundation requirement. Students are encouraged to take multiple Foundation-designated courses, as they are of central relevance to the minor.
Medical Humanities Program
Jason P. Matzke, Program Coordinator
Affiliated Faculty
Tracy B. Citeroni, Sociology
María Isabel Martínez-Mira, Spanish
Laura Mentore, Anthropology