FRSEM-UA 393 - Comfort and Suffering

Institution:

New York University

Subject:

Description:

The purpose of this seminar is to explore the nature of comfort and suffering as a human experience. We examine related readings through the lens of the health care system paradigm and use case studies to explore the wellness-illness continuum of human experiences. Students become familiar with conceptual frameworks used by nurses, physicians, and social workers as they assist patients through the illness experience, which is continually balanced between comfort and suffering. Our discussions on the nature of comfort and suffering focus on writings from the Bible, which are contrasted with contemporary editorials and publications, in order to examine historical changes in the way individuals think about these important dimensions of the human experience. Scientific advances create heretofore unimaginable opportunities, choices, and dilemmas for all of us as we seek to discern how to cope with disease, human suffering, and the psychological consequences that are inevitable when illness and care needs create complexity in our lives. We debate the notion of "self-care," now very popular in the health care literature, and contrast it with the concept of "patient abandonment."

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nyu.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 998-1212

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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