Do poets make better doctors? Is literature healthy? Should literary characters be diagnosed? This course explores the relationship of literature and medicine and questions such as these by reading and discussing a range of literary and theoretical texts.
In "On Being Ill," Virginia Woolf wrote that "English, which can express the thoughts of Hamlet and the tragedy of Lear, has no words for the shiver and the headache. . . . let a sufferer try to describe a pain in his head to a doctor and language at once runs dry." Yet illness narratives are now an established literary genre. Furthermore, some argue that knowledge of literature and narrative help doctors understand their patients and their symptoms better. This course will explore a range of issues involved in the intersection of literature and medicine. We will look at, for example, the use of literature in the study and practice of medicine and medical treatment, what is at stake in diagnosing literary characters, and the kinds of literary forms illness has shaped.
Faculty Course: Literature and medicine, 7.5 credits
Spring Term 2025
Starts
20 January 2025
Ends
24 March 2025
Study location
Varied
Language
English
Type of studies
Mixed,
50%,
Distance
Number of mandatory meetings
No mandatory meetings.
Number of other meetings
None
Outline for distance course
The medium of instruction is English. All communication is via the course learning platform. The course includes a number of obligatory seminars via internet. Access to a computer with broadband internet connection is required for participating in and completing the course tasks. For information on technical requirements, see “Technical Requirements for Online Courses” https://www.umu.se/student/sprakstudier/dokument
Required Knowledge
one of the following alternatives: 1) Bachelor's degree (180 credits) 2) 90 university credits, of which at least 7,5 credits must come from an independent project, or equivalent qualifications
Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.
Application deadline was
15 October 2024.
The application period is closed.
Application and tuition fees
As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
