Medical Humanities Minor
Curriculum
General Education
| Required Courses | Credits: | |
| FCWR 302 | Communication for Healthcare Careers | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) Building on courses taken in their majors, students will learn and apply concepts of effective written and oral expression appropriate for careers in the health and biology professions. In addition to closely examining a variety of texts across the discipline, students will develop public speaking skills while also learning to collaborate on grant proposals, literature reviews, pamphlets and posters, and a research paper. Topics covered include the rhetoric of writing in the health professions, ethics, images in the sciences, grant- and abstract writing, and researching and writing publishable manuscripts. Course work includes a computer lab component. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICLT 316 | Literature and Medicine | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) In this seminar, students will examine literary representations of illness, disability, and disease. Through close readings of poems, short stories, plays, essays, and medical memoirs, we will consider questions such as the following: How does illness define and sometimes transform us? What do our responses to the sick tell us about ourselves? What is a "good death"? What shapes public responses to disease and epidemics? Who defines normality, and how do we react to those who deviate from it? What are the obligations of the healthy to those who suffer? This course is interdisciplinary in nature, and will examine how social, cultural, and historical forces have shaped attitudes toward illness, disability, and medical treatment. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| Total: 6 Credits | ||
Minor Requirements
| Electives (choose at least three) | Credits: | |
| ICBS 300 | Seminar in Behavioral Science1 | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) In this Core behavioral science seminar, students will focus on specific topics and theories in behavioral science. In addition, the course will examine behavioral science in relation to other disciplines. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICBS 309 | Anthropological Approaches to Health Seminar | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) This seminar course in health and anthropology will examine this subfield within the diachronic context of the theoretical framework from functionalism to the recent more holistic multidisciplinary perspectives of cultural, ecological, and bio-cultural approaches. Moreover, individual health issues such as infectious epidemics, nutrition, stress, etc. will be examined from a cross-cultural as well as from a biological perspective. Attention will be given to cultural beliefs and customs as they interact in the adaptive relationship between disease and the physical environment. We shall also be concerned with the dynamic interplay between the healers, the healing situation (traditional and non-traditional), and the clients as they participate in the healing process. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICBS 310 | Legal and Semi-Legal Addiction: Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) This multi-disciplinary class examines the legal and socially acceptable substances known to be addictive, including alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. The approach will emphasize psychological aspects of addiction from several approaches, including learning and memory, developmental psychology, neuroscience and clinical psychology.Aditionally we will discuss historical, cultural, medical and economical aspects of addiction. Students who take this course will examine the physical and psychological aspects of addiction and the current treatment options. Additionally, we will examine how these drugs have gained "accepted" status around the world, and their impact on society and media. This course will develop critical thinking, writing, oral and research skills, and will particularly appeal to students with an interest in neuroscience, clinical psychology and/or the development of cultural norms. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICLT 302 | Strange Creations: Literature, Intelligent Technology, and Ethics | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) This course examines literary representations of artificial, intelligent servants, such as robots, androids, computer networks, and human replicants. Using a broad definition of intelligent systems, a definition which includes intelligent networks as well as artificial humans, we will explore tales about such creations. These stories will range from very ancient legends and written accounts from Chinese, Indian and Greek sources to medieval and Renaissance stories of talking, moving statues, and talking brass heads. We will also discuss later tales in which artificial humanoids are central figures. The focus of our explorations will be how these tales represent various views of the appropriate bounds for humankind's intellectual and scientific ambition. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICLT 303 | On the Visionary Frontier: Science Fiction and its Cultural Significance | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) Science fiction uses various literary, philosophical, psychological, social, and scientific concepts to examine and comment on contemporary society. Students analyze the various ways science fiction engages a range of cultural and social issues, such as the nature of science and scientific exploration, science and ethics, scientific dystopia, technological apocalypse, relationships between faith and science, cybernetics and human identity, medical ethics, and nanotechnology. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICLT 306 | American Nervousness: Mental Health and Madness in American Literature and Culture | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) This course focuses on psychological themes and subjects in American literature and culture, with a particular emphasis on the literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will read a wide variety of texts from different genres and disciplines in order to explore the concept of American Nervousness, physician G.M. Beard's provocative notion that American life could foster a unique form of mental disease. We will examine how madness is represented in literature, how literary texts reflect and respond to historical developments in psychiatry, and how psychiatry and concepts of mental health are themselves products of particular historical moments in American culture. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICLT 328 | Bioethics and Human Modification | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) How would you like to live 300 years? This and more are possibilities in the near future, according to some scientists. And the future holds even more radical prospects. This course will survey the explosion of interest in enhancing humans with all types of emerging technology, including biotechnology (for example, prosthetic enhancements like robotic exoskeletons, embedded brainchips to enhance memory, and artificial eyes); genetics, (alteration of the genome to select for better intelligence, longevity, etc.), advanced medicine (like modified microbes), and digital technology ( enhancements like implantable WiFi networks and wearable technology). This course studies such inventions in light of the ethical issues that they raise: who gets them? Who pays? Who controls them? What social changes might they cause, good or bad? Should they even be used, and if so when? The course presents both the supporting and opposing arguments for human enhancement, and literature that illustrates the enhancements and the arguments for and against them. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICSS 300 | Seminar in Social Science1 | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) In this Core social science seminar, students will focus on a specific topic in history, political science, or economics. In addition, the course will examine the social sciences in relation to other disciplines. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| HSCI 190 | Community Health Implications | 3 |
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This course will introduce the student to basic community health, health case systems and community health concerns. Topics covered include epidemiology, health promotion and disease prevention, chronic disease and societal implications for chronic disease, health care settings and introduction to healthcare teams. The format will be mostly lecture and class discussion. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| HSCI 340 | Health and Aging | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Course is limited to juniors and seniors This course takes an interprofessional approach to exploring and examining aspects of health and aging from the integration of bio-medical and psychosocial perspectives. Attention will be paid to the demographic and ethnic shifts, both nationally and globally, that are bringing about the aging "tsunami", the myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes associated with older adults, and the major influences on health of older adults including: chronic/acute illnesses, mental health, medication use, physical activity and nutrition, sexuality, health promotion, medical and long term care, death and dying, the role of the family, and health policy and advocacy issues. This course will take a "whole person" approach and focus on cultural, economic, and cohort differences. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| HSCI 420 | Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
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The course will examine and analyze moral dilemmas created by recent advances in medical technology. The course will include selections from the literature, ethics, values, and philosophy as related to the delivery of health care. Medical-legal issues will be addressed with particular reference to liability and confidentiality. Issues related to euthanasia, the right to die, abortion, behavior modification, allocation of scarce medical resources, in vitro fertilization, genetic screening and engineering, and human experimentation will also be addressed. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| IDSP 403 | Senior Project | 3 |
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This course provides students an opportunity to pursue a creative interdisciplinary project. Individual, supervised research or creative activity is a major component of the course. A final report is required. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| IDSP 450 | Internship (in Interdisciplinary Studies; with permission of program coordinator) | 3 |
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An advanced elective course which permits the student to gain supervised professional experience. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 0-0-3 |
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| BIOL 103 | Nutrition and Society | 3 |
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An introduction to the principles of nutrition in food management. Includes food customs, patterns and habits, nutrients in foods, applied nutrition, and world nutrition problems and programs. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| BIOL 341 | Genetic Engineering | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: BIOL 335 or BIOL 233 An introduction into the realm of molecular bioengineering with specific focus on genetic engineering. This course introduces the structure and function of DNA, the flow of genetic information in a cell, genetic mechanisms, the methodology involved in recombinant DNA technology and its application in society in terms of cloning and genetic modification of plants and animals (transgenics), biotechnology (pharmaceutics), bioprocessing (production and process engineering with a specific focus on the production of genetically engineered products), and gene therapy. Further, societal issues involving ethical and moral considerations, consequences of regulation, as well as risks and benefits of genetic engineering will be discussed. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICPH 301 | The Philosophy of Human Nature | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) This interdisciplinary course based in philosophy is a study of classic sources of ideas on the nature of humankind as found in Western religion, in the ancient world, and in modern philosophy. The course will examine contemporary theories of human nature that reflect upon the human being as a psychological or as a genetic mechanism, as a maker of tools, a speaker of language, as dominated by its animal nature, and as a being abandoned in a godless world. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICPH 303 | The Birth of Philosophy and Science | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) An interdisciplinary philosophy seminar that will introduce the students to the origins and basic ideas of the earliest Greek philosophers. The course will deal with their contributions to philosophical thought and the scientific understanding of the universe. The seminar will address a variety of disciplines that include philosophy, history, astronomy, cosmology, mathematics, and physics, disciplines that can be abundantly found in the writings and theories of the Presocratics. From Thales of Miletus in the early sixth century BCE to Democritus in the fifth century the course will present the students their attempts to understand the nature of reality and the universe. The course will require active participation on the part of the students and a series of written reports. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| ICPH 306 | Bioethics | 3 |
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Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) An interdisciplinary philosophy seminar that introduces students to the field of bioethics- the study of ethical issues involving the biomedical and life sciences. The course includes readings of moral theories in philosophy and uses these concepts as a framework to examine key issues in bioethics. Topics covered in the course may include classic cases in bioethics as well as contemporary debates prompted by emerging technologies. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| SOCI 305 | Sociology of Sport | 3 |
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Sport is viewed by some scholars as socially constructed and therefore a product of society. Of all the social institutions that social scientists study-family, religion, medial, government, medicine, race-sport is arguably the least studied in proportion to its societal impact. Sport plays a pervasive role in almost all of our lives as fans, players, and consumers. Despite this omnipresence, spo1ts remain an understudied topic. Sports are seen as both an independent variable (it has effects on us as participant and fan), and as a dependent variable in that sports are affected by organizational dynamics, as well as broader societal and cultural processes. Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3 |
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| Total: 9 Credits | ||
| [1] Applicable topics only | ||
| Total Program Requirements = 15 Credits |