Medical Humanities, Minor
The medical humanities undergraduate minor program at Saint Louis University is dedicated to the study of the humanities as foundational disciplines for quality health care education and professional development.
Curriculum Overview
SLU's minor in medical humanities is intended to prepare students for careers in the health sciences by giving them an expanded awareness of how disease and care have been imaged and experienced by people in diverse personal circumstances, cultures, and eras, and how people's values often conflict in the health care setting. Such awareness can serve as a foundation for competent, ethical care that acknowledges and respects differing interpretations and meanings of illness experience and suffering. It also serves as the base for responsibly addressing the conflicts of value that arise in treatment endeavors.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Course | ||
| ENGL 3730 | Introduction to Medical Humanities, Literature | 3 |
| English Requirement | 3 | |
| Medicine and Literature | ||
(or any other ENGL course bearing the Medical Humanities attribute) | ||
| Philosophy, Theology, and History Requirements | 6 | |
| Choose a course from two out of these three departments: | ||
| Medical Ethics | ||
| Death and Suffering | ||
| A Post Human Future? The Ethics of Technology | ||
| Required Elective Course | 3 | |
| Choose one approved course from the list below: | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Medicine, Mind, and Victorian Fiction | ||
| Ethics in Clinical Medicine | ||
| Freaks and the Medical Body | ||
| Warriors and Medics | ||
| Ethics and Geriatric Care | ||
| Law and Bioethics | ||
| Intro to Music Therapy | ||
| Death and Suffering | ||
| A Post Human Future? The Ethics of Technology | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Capstone Requirement
In the final year of the minor, each student will be required to complete a substantial (18-20 page) research paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the director. Often, this paper expands on written work completed in the student’s coursework for the minor. Each spring, students completing the minor will present their capstone papers at a public forum on campus.
Continuation Standards
All medical humanities minor courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher in order to count for the minor and for the student to continue in the minor.