Introduction to the Medical Humanities

The academic field of medical humanities encompasses a liberal arts education in connection with modern medical practice. With an interdisciplinary approach, it includes courses across a wide range, including literature, religion, philosophy, history, economics, and ethics. Particular emphasis is in the history of Christian spirituality, models of medical knowledge and practice, patient/physician relationships, hospital-based ministry, and the nature of health care in the 21st century. This program provides students insight into the arts and humanities of medicine and provides them with an understanding of the human experience and the value of human life. Students also explore the crucial relationships between physicians and their patients, providing further appreciation of the role of the humanities in medicine. Students have opportunities to learn from practicing physicians through clinical rotations, exposing them to the real world of medicine and decision making that often involves deep ethical and spiritual issues.