About the course: Foundations of Health Humanities, Fall 2023

This course is part of the Global Health Studies Humanities Path at the University of Iowa. It focuses on health, illness, and healing through the perspectives of the humanities: history, literature, art, and culture. The goal of health humanities is to better understand the multiple meanings and impacts of illness and healing; health beliefs and practices in different communities; and health care disparities. Interdisciplinary inquiry through close reading of literature, interpretation of visual images, learning to ask good questions and listen deeply, as well as reflective and analytic writing, all encourage acceptance of ambiguity, adaptability and critical thinking. An orientation to appreciation of human factors such as sex, gender identity, race and class in personal and professional healthcare decision making are a central theme of the course. It is oriented to students interested in the relationships between health, medicine and culture, whether they intend to pursue careers in the health professions and public health, or want to explore artistic, literary, and social scientific inquiries into health, illness and health care disparities.