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 | |
| 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 | |
| Race in Global Perspective | ||
| Anthropology of Gender | ||
| Medical Anthropology: Cultural Perspectives on Health and Illness | ||
| Anthropology of Food | ||
| Ethnobotany | ||
| Anthropology and Psychology | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Peacefulness: Here and Now | ||
| Writing about Medicine | ||
| Fictions of Disability | ||
| Writing Studies and Healing | ||
| Literature of the Great War | ||
| Disability and Literature | ||
| Women, War and Psychology: German Literature and Culture between WWI and WWII | ||
| Representations of Death | ||
| Remembering the Holocaust | ||
| German in the Sciences | ||
| Medical Humanities - The Intersection of Language, Culture, and Health | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Practical Ethics | ||
| Medical Ethics | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Philosophy and AI | ||
| Gender and Public Policy | ||
| Psychopathology | ||
| Adult Development | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Anthropology and Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Human Sexuality | ||
| Positive Psychology | ||
| Cultural Psychology | ||
| Peacefulness: Here and Now | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Death and Dying in Early Christianity | ||
| Happiness: Here and Now | ||
| Gender and Society | ||
| Socg of Aging | ||
| Sociology of the Body | ||
| Food Justice | ||
| Introduction to Social Welfare | ||
| Medical Sociology | ||
| Global Perspectives on Health and Illness | ||
| Death and Society | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Sociology of the Body | ||
| Culture of Service and Social Action in the Hispanic World | ||
| 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 | |
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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.