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A community‐based approach to the medical humanities
Author(s) -
Donohoe Martin,
Danielson Susan
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2004.01756.x
Subject(s) - curriculum , medical humanities , medical education , vocabulary , health care , set (abstract data type) , pedagogy , community health , psychology , nursing , medicine , sociology , public health , political science , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , law , programming language
Background This paper discusses the rationale behind, and an approach to, the development of a graduate level interdisciplinary curriculum in literature and health care that incorporates community‐based learning. Such an innovative approach emerges from the recognition that professional training in both health care and humanities programmes often does not model the kinds of collaborative relationships and professional values desired by contemporary health care students, providers and patients. Method Recent trends in literary study and the medical humanities are described, along with the function (and benefits to students) of interdisciplinary classrooms and the role of community‐based learning in higher education. The authors discuss their experiences teaching, and offer students' responses to medical humanities courses from which the concept for such a curriculum evolved. The paper offers advice on developing, evaluating and disseminating such a model curriculum for medical, nursing and graduate literature students. Proposal By linking health care with graduate English literature students, such a course would promote dialogue and understanding among health professionals, enhance student awareness of the effects of illness on patients, their caregivers and families, and encourage student activism and community service. A common set of literary works would provide a shared vocabulary and opportunities for ethical, critical and personal response. Working together in a community‐based project, students from diifferent programmes would learn to appreciate alternative professional and lay perspectives on common experiences.