Medical Humanities Minor
Description
Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field that explores, from multiple perspectives, connections between humans, cultures, medicine and allied health sciences. Medical humanities complements the health sciences, and encompasses the humanities, social sciences and the arts. It includes topics related to: health and illness; the interactions between health practices and conceptions of personhood, gender, and community; beliefs; practices, healing and ethics across cultures; the nature of suffering; and models of wellness.
The minor in medical humanities provides students who are interested in careers in medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, social work, health education, and other allied health sciences, with courses that complement and support their studies. The minor is intentionally flexible and interdisciplinary, reflecting both the needs of students and the nature of the discipline. It includes options and opportunities such as distance education and service learning. The medical humanities minor helps students to increase their understanding of the nature of illness, health, wellness, healing and medicine by exploring these topics in relation to:
- inclusivity and diversity
- ethics, religion and culture
- narrative medicine, communication, fine arts
Other Information
All coursework taken for the medical humanities minor must be completed with a grade of “C-“ or better.
Contact Information
Dustin Pendley,
dpendley@unomaha.edu
Requirements
Undergraduate students seeking to minor in medical humanities must complete at least 15 credit hours of medical humanities courses with a grade of C- or higher and include at least one course from each of three core areas or blocks related to the study and practice of medical humanities: Block 1) inclusivity and diversity; Block 2) ethics, religion and culture; Block 3) narrative medicine, communication, fine arts.
A minimum of 9 out of the 15 credit hours of coursework must be upper division (3000 or higher) courses.
Please note: As this is a new minor, courses are being added. As new courses are being added on an on-going basis, students should select medical humanities courses in consultation with their minor advisor who will provide them with the most recent list of course options.
Courses Fulfilling the Core Area/Block Requirements
Students must choose at least one course from each of the three core areas or blocks below. The rest of the 15 credit minor requirement may consist of coursework chosen from the medical humanities minor full course listings. No less than 9 out of the 15 total credit hours for the minor must be taken at the 3000-4000 level.
Block Requirement Options
MEDH 1000 Introduction to Medical Humanities will fulfill one Block requirement. That is, a MEDH minor taking MEDH 1000 may use it to satisfy the requirement of three hours of coursework from Block 1, 2, or 3.
MEDH 3000 Medical Humanities Commons will fulfill one Block requirement. Attribution to Block 1, 2, or 3 will be handled through advisement, as the topic may change from semester to semester.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Block 1: Inclusivity and Diversity | ||
BLST 3980 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN BLACK STUDIES (HIV and AIDS in Africa) | 3 |
GERO 4480 | GLOBAL AGEING | 3 |
GERO/PHHB/WGST 4550 | HEALTH ASPECTS OF AGING | 3 |
MEDH 4000 | TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (Topic with a Block 1 attribute) | 3 |
MEDH 4990 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (TOPIC WITH A BLOCK 1 ATTRIBUTE) | 1-3 |
PHHB/GERO 3070 | DEATH AND DYING | 3 |
PHIL 3480 | PHILOSOPHY OF RACE | 3 |
PHIL/WGST 3490 | GENDER AND PHILOSOPHY | 3 |
PSYC 2500 | LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
SOC 3820 | MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
SOC 4440 | HUMAN CONNECTION, LONELINESS, & HEALTH | 3 |
SOC/PHHB 4700 | WOMEN'S HEALTH AND ISSUES OF DIVERSITY | 3 |
SOC 4800 | CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (Health & Stratification) | 3 |
SOC 4830 | SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH & ILLNESS | 3 |
Block 2: Ethics, Religion and Culture | ||
ANTH 4230 | ETHNOMEDICINES OF THE AMERICAS | 3 |
ANTH 4240 | MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
ANTH/NAMS 4270 | DECOLONIZING NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH | 3 |
ANTH 4920 | SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY (Free Healthcare, Clinical Cultures, and Health Disparities) | 3 |
ANTH/NAMS 4920 | SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY (Native American Health and Wellness) | 3 |
HIST/MEDH 2030 | HISTORY OF MEDICINE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
MEDH/PHIL 2300 | HUMAN VALUES IN MEDICINE | 3 |
MEDH 4000 | TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (Topic with a Block 2 attribute) | 3 |
MEDH 4990 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (TOPIC WITH A BLOCK 2 ATTRIBUTE) | 1-3 |
PHIL 3450 | PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE | 3 |
PHIL 3500 | PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY (Myth, Medicine & Cosmology, Neuroethics) | 3 |
PSYC 4680 | POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, HEALTH, & WELL-BEING | 3 |
PSYC 4800 | LAW & PSYCHOLOGY: ETHICS, RESEARCH & SERVICE | 3 |
RELI 2500 | SPIRITUALITY AND WELLNESS | 3 |
RELI 3020 | NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS | 3 |
RELI 3030 | SHAMANISM | 3 |
RELI 3500 | TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (Spirituality and Madness; Public Health, Religon, and Human Rights; Religion in Public Life) | 3 |
RELI/BLST 4030 | AFRICANA RELIGIONS | 3 |
SPAN 3570 | SPANISH FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
Block 3: Narrative Medicine, Communication, Fine Arts | ||
ART 2600 | SURVEY OF COMICS: MORE THAN CAPES AND TIGHTS (As topic appropriate) | 3 |
ART 3330 | ART IN PUBLIC PLACES (Theory & Practice in Public Health) | 3 |
CMST 1310 | PERSPECTIVES IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES | 3 |
CMST 4220 | HEALTH COMMUNICATION | 3 |
ENGL/MEDH 4950 | BRINGING THE WAR HOME: DEPICTIONS OF WAR VETERANS IN LITERATURE AND FILM | 3 |
ENGL 4970 | WRITING ABOUT SICKNESS AND HEALTH | 3 |
MEDH 4000 | TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (Topic with a Block 3 attribute) | 3 |
MEDH 4990 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES (TOPIC WITH A BLOCK 3 ATTRIBUTE) | 1-3 |
MUS 2740 | CHAMBER MUSIC (Sound Health) | 1 |
MUS 4660 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR MUSICIANS | 3 |
RELI 3500 | TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (First Nations, Spirit in Culture) | 3 |
THEA 2310 | ACTING I (Medical Humanities Section) | 3 |
WRWS 3500 | CREATIVE WRITING FOR THE ARTS (Medical Humanities Section) | 3 |
College of Arts and Sciences
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Anthropology | ||
ANTH 4230 | ETHNOMEDICINES OF THE AMERICAS | 3 |
ANTH 4240 | MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
ANTH/NAMS 4270 | DECOLONIZING NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH | 3 |
ANTH 4920 | SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY (Free Healthcare, Clinical Cultures, and Health Disparities) | 3 |
ANTH/NAMS 4920 | SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGY (Native American Health and Wellness) | 3 |
Biology | ||
BIOL 1060 | INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL CAREERS & ETHICS | 2 |
BIOL 2060 | ART AND SCIENCE OF MEDICAL DECISION-MAKING | 3 |
Black Studies | ||
BLST 3980 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN BLACK STUDIES (HIV and AIDS in Africa) | 3 |
BLST/RELI 4030 | AFRICANA RELIGIONS | 3 |
English | ||
ENGL/MEDH 4950 | BRINGING THE WAR HOME: DEPICTIONS OF WAR VETERANS IN LITERATURE AND FILM | 3 |
ENGL 4960 | TOPICS IN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Writing Graphic Memoirs) | 3 |
ENGL 4970 | WRITING ABOUT SICKNESS AND HEALTH | 3 |
Environmental Studies | ||
ENVN 4320 | ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HUMAN HEALTH | 3 |
Foreign Languages and Literature | ||
SPAN 1140 | INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 1 |
History | ||
HIST/MEDH 2030 | HISTORY OF MEDICINE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
Medical Humanities | ||
MEDH 1000 | INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
MEDH/HIST 2030 | HISTORY OF MEDICINE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT | 3 |
MEDH/PHIL 2300 | HUMAN VALUES IN MEDICINE | 3 |
MEDH 3000 | MEDICAL HUMANITIES COMMONS | 3 |
MEDH 4000 | TOPICS IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
MEDH 4990 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN MEDICAL HUMANITIES | 1-3 |
Native American Studies | ||
NAMS/ANTH 4270 | DECOLONIZING NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH | 3 |
NAMS/ANTH 4920 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES (Native American Health & Wellness) | 3 |
Philosophy | ||
PHIL 2030 | INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS | 3 |
PHIL/MEDH 2300 | HUMAN VALUES IN MEDICINE | 3 |
PHIL 3450 | PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE | 3 |
PHIL 3480 | PHILOSOPHY OF RACE | 3 |
PHIL/WGST 3490 | GENDER AND PHILOSOPHY | 3 |
PHIL 3500 | PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY (Myth, Medicine & Cosmology, Neuroethics) | 3 |
Psychology | ||
PSYC 2500 | LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
PSYC 4440 | ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
PSYC/GERO 4460 | PSYCHOLOGY OF ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING | 3 |
PSYC 4680 | POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, HEALTH, & WELL-BEING | 3 |
PSYC 4800 | LAW & PSYCHOLOGY: ETHICS, RESEARCH & SERVICE | 3 |
Religious Studies | ||
RELI 2500 | SPIRITUALITY AND WELLNESS | 3 |
RELI 3020 | NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS | 3 |
RELI 3030 | SHAMANISM | 3 |
RELI 3500 | TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (Religion in Public Life; First Nations, Spirit in Culture, Compassion; Spirituality and Madness; Public Health, Religion and Human Rights) | 3 |
RELI/BLST 4030 | AFRICANA RELIGIONS | 3 |
Sociology | ||
SOC 3820 | MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
SOC 4200 | SOCIOLOGY OF THE BODY | 3 |
SOC 4440 | HUMAN CONNECTION, LONELINESS, & HEALTH | 3 |
SOC/PHHB 4700 | WOMEN'S HEALTH AND ISSUES OF DIVERSITY | 3 |
SOC 4800 | CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (Health & Stratification) | 3 |
SOC 4830 | SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH & ILLNESS | 3 |
Spanish | ||
SPAN 1140 | INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 1 |
SPAN 3570 | SPANISH FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
Women's and Gender Studies | ||
WGST 2020 | INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES: HUMANITIES | 3 |
WGST/PHHB 3080 | HEALTH CONCEPTS OF SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
WGST/PHIL 3490 | GENDER AND PHILOSOPHY | 3 |
WGST/PHHB/GERO 4550 | HEALTH ASPECTS OF AGING | 3 |
College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Art | ||
ART 2600 | SURVEY OF COMICS: MORE THAN CAPES AND TIGHTS (As topic appropriate) | 3 |
ART 3330 | ART IN PUBLIC PLACES (Public Health focus-please check with the professor) | 3 |
Music | ||
MUS 2740 | CHAMBER MUSIC (Sound Health Service Learning component) | 1 |
MUS 4000 | SPECIAL STUDIES IN MUSIC (Health & Wellness for Musicians) | 3 |
Communication Studies | ||
CMST 1310 | PERSPECTIVES IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES | 3 |
CMST 2010 | INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION | 3 |
CMST 2410 | SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP | 3 |
CMST 4220 | HEALTH COMMUNICATION | 3 |
THEA 2310 | ACTING I (MH Section) | 3 |
WRWS 3500 | CREATIVE WRITING FOR THE ARTS (MH Section) | 3 |
College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Public Health and Health Behavior | ||
PHHB 2850 | STRESS MANAGEMENT | 3 |
PHHB/GERO 3070 | DEATH AND DYING | 3 |
PHHB/WGST 3080 | HEALTH CONCEPTS OF SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
PHHB/WGST/GERO 4550 | HEALTH ASPECTS OF AGING | 3 |
PHHB/SOC 4700 | WOMEN'S HEALTH AND ISSUES OF DIVERSITY | 3 |
College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Gerontology | ||
GERO/PHHB 3070 | DEATH AND DYING | 3 |
GERO 4350 | ISSUES IN AGING | 3 |
GERO/PSYC 4460 | PSYCHOLOGY OF ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING | 3 |
GERO/PHHB/WGST 4550 | HEALTH ASPECTS OF AGING | 3 |
GERO/SOWK 4850 | HOSPICE & OTHER SERVICES FOR THE DYING PATIENT/FAMILY | 3 |
Recommended Courses
Recommended courses for students interested in pursuing a minor in Medical Humanities (but not counting directly toward the minor) include:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
ANTH 1050 | INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
BLST 1000 | INTRODUCTION TO BLACK STUDIES | 3 |
CMST 4170 | ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | 3 |
CMST 4530 | INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION-US | 3 |
CMST 4700 | INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT | 3 |
GERO 2000 | INTRODUCTION TO GERONTOLOGY | 3 |
NAMS 1100 | INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES | 3 |
PHIL 1210 | CRITICAL REASONING | 3 |
PSYC 1010 | INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY I | 3 |
PSYC 1020 | INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY II | 3 |
RELI 1010 | RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD | 3 |
SOC 1010 | INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
WGST 2010 | INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES: SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE | 3 |
MEDH 1000Introduction to Medical Humanities will fulfill one Block requirement. That is, a MEDH minor taking MEDH 1000 may use it to satisfy the requirement of three hours of coursework from Block 1,2, or 3.
MEDH 3000Medical Humanities Commons will fulfill one Block requirement. Attribution to Block 1, 2, or 3 will be handled through advisement as the topic may change from semester to semester.