World Literature 306 - Medicine and Literature Tobin

Institution:

Whitman College

Subject:

Description:

Physical and mental illness are frequent themes of literature and a surprising number of writers had medical training. In this course we will study the interrelations of medicine and literature. Some of the questions we will ask include: How does literature help in the healing process In what ways do literary texts expose the structures of meaning in medicine And how do literary conventions affect medical practice We will trace the development of the concepts of health and sickness in literary and cultural documents from the Enlightenment to the present, reading authors such as Goethe, Lenz, Büchner, Rilke, and Mann. As we study the literary representation of diseases such as anorexia, schizophrenia, hysteria, tuberculosis, and AIDS, we will also read medical and scientific writings in order to understand the relationship between the fictional works and the medical world. All readings, discussions, and assignments in English.

Credits:

3.00 - 4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.whitman.edu

Phone Number:

(509) 527-5111

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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