Course Descriptions

MEHU 6001-BIOETHICS IN FILM (variable credit hours)
Description: TBA
Prerequisite: TBA
Enrollment restrictions: TBA
Term offered: Summer
Year offered: Biennially-Even
Hours per week: TBA
Instructor: Howard Brody, MD, PhD and Anne Hudson Jones, PhD

MEHU 6084-PHYSICIAN WRITERS (variable credit hours)
This course will focus on the fiction, poetry, and nonfiction prose of physician-writers. Part I will focus on the works of historical physician-writers, such as Rabelais, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Anton Chekhov, William Carlos Williams, and Walker Percy. Part II will feature the works on contemporary physician-writers, such as Samuel Shem, Richard Selzer, Abraham Verghese, and David Watts. And Part III will look at the work of women physician writers, such as Perri Klass, Susan Mates, Kate Scannell, Danielle Ofri, and Pauline Chen. Special attention will be given to works that express these physician-writers' perspectives on medical education, medical practice, and issues of medical ethics. As a variable credit course, the three parts are designed to be taken alone or in combination. Completion of one part of the course yields one-credit hour; completion of two parts yields two-credit hours; completion of all three parts yields three-credit hours. Students will be evaluated on the quality of their general seminar participation, their special seminar presentations, and a critical essay of approximately 3,000 words written about the assigned readings in each part of the course. For one-credit hour, students will complete one essay; for two-credit hours, two essays; and for three-credit hours, three essays. For one-credit hour: General seminar participation (25%); special seminar presentation (25%); critical essay (50%). For two-credit hours: General seminar participation (20%); special seminar presentation (20%); two critical essays (30% each for 60%). For three-credit hours: General seminar participation (20%); special seminar presentation (20%); three critical essays (20% each for 60%).

Prerequisite: Permission from the instructor
Enrollment restrictions: Minimum 3, Maximum 12
Term offered: Summer
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Anne Hudson Jones, Ph.D.

MEHU 6283-ART PRACTICUM (2 credit hours)
A hands on, studio-based introduction to the visual arts and medical humanities. After an introduction to papermaking and printmaking techniques, students will develop a project which will be produced during the class period. In addition to learning techniques for presenting visual information, the students will develop an expanded appreciation for the visual arts' unique contribution to medical humanities. Students will be evaluated as follows: 1) attendance; 1) class participation; and 3) the completion of independent projects which are reviewed during the course and presented as the class final.

Prerequisite: Students must contact the instructor for prior approval at least one month before the course begins
Maximum number of students: 2
Term offered: Spring, Summer
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week: Laboratory 3, Conference or discussion 1
Instructor: Eric N. Avery, MD
Changed effective Summer Term, 2005

MEHU 6304-BIOETHICS AND THE LAW (3 credit hours)
This seminar will bring together perspectives from bioethics and law on selected topics in health care. To develop these perspectives in seminars and research projects, students will explore a broad range of philosophical, political, social, and economic topics and issues that bear on such matters as the formulation of health policies, classic cases, and controversies about informed consent and respect for persons, beginning and end-of-life decisions, the physician-patient relationship, the legal regulation of medical practice, and specific topics such as organ transplantation, privacy and confidentiality, and access to health care. Lectures, readings, and discussions. Students are evaluated on the basis of their participation in class discussion (25%) and on the basis of written work including research papers and conceptual analysis of textual materials (75%).

Prerequisite: None
Term offered: exception: Fall 2009 rather than Summer 2010
Year offered: Biennially-Even
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: William J. Winslade, PhD, JD, PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2007

MEHU 6306-FOUNDATIONS OF BIOETHICS (3 credit hours)
Bioethics emerged in recent decades as a field of inquiry that explores and clarifies moral dimensions in medical practice. Weekly seminars will explore ethical aspects of various bioethical problem areas. Topics will include the role ethical theories, principles and cases, ethical reasoning, and ethical decision making. Leading texts such as The Principles of Biomedical Ethics will be carefully and critically studied. Students are evaluated on the basis of their participation in class discussion (25%) and on the basis of written work including research papers and conceptual analysis of textual materials (75%).

Prerequisite: None
Term offered: Fall
Year offered: Biennially-Even
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: William J. Winslade, PhD, JD,PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2004

MEHU 6308-TOPICS IN THE MEDICAL HUMANITIES (3 credit hours)
Readings, tutorial studies, or written papers dealing with topics in the medical humanities, depending on the needs of the student. Course may be taken more than one time for credit with the consent of advisor and graduate program director. This course should not be mistaken for MEHX 6000: Special Topics.

Prerequisite: Consent of advisor and graduate program director
Term offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week: Conference or discussion 3
Instructor: IMH Faculty
Changed effective Fall Term, 2004

MEHU 6310–ETHICS AND REGULATIONS OF CLINICAL RESEARCH (3 credit hours)
This course will cover the processes of conducting human-subjects research studies, the ethical principles upon which contemporary human-subjects research is founded, the complex federal regulations that govern such research, the standard guidelines for conducting human-subjects research, and the history of developments in research ethics and research regulations. The format will be weekly meetings with lectures, class discussion, and group exercises. Students will complete “real-world” assignments, such as analyzing a protocol from an IRB perspective, writing an IRB submission, completing case report forms with sample patient data, and writing and assembling a sample regulatory packet such as an IND or NDA. Also, students will participate in group exercises such as operating as an IRB or Data Safety & Monitoring Board. Grading will be based on class discussion & participation (40%) and written analyses and reports (60%).

Prerequisite: None
Term offered: Fall
Year offered: Biennially-Even Years
Hours per week: Lecture 2, Seminar 1
Enrollment Restrictions: Minimum 4
Instructors: TBA
Changed effective Fall Term, 2004

MEHU 6315-CLINICAL ETHICS (3 credit hours)
This seminar is a comprehensive examination of the dominant methods, themes, cases, and contemporary issues associated with the field of clinical ethics. The course examines ethical, legal, historical, and cultural aspects of bioethical issues in the health-care arena, with particular emphasis on modes of reasoning in clinical ethics consultation. There are three graded assignments: a critical essay (30%), an argument/case analysis (30%), and an Ethics Grand Rounds presentation (20%). Specific details of these assignments will be provided. All students are expected to complete all reading assignments before each seminar session and to participate in seminar discussions (20%).

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Term offered: Spring
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Michele A. Carter, PhD, and Cheryl J. Ellis Vaiani, PhD
Changed effective Spring Term, 2005

MEHU 6317-ADVANCED PRACTICUM IN HEALTH-CARE ETHICS (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to offer an in-depth exploration of ethical issues in health care with specific attention to the development of practical skills in bioethics problem solving, case analysis, policy development, clinical teaching, and/or intradisciplinary field work. Students work independently under the supervision of a designated mentor who will assist the instructor in providing access to a variety of teaching-learning venues in health-care ethics. In most cases the Advanced Practicum is an opportunity for concentrated study of a theme, problem or issue to be further developed at the thesis or dissertation stage. Grading will be based on practicum performance, project presentations, and a written essay.

Prerequisite: MEHU 6315, MEHU 6382, and consent of the instructor. At the discretion of the course instructor, MEHU 6315 and MEHU 6317 may be taken concurrently. 
Term offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week: Clinical 3, Conference or discussion 2
Instructor: Michele A. Carter, PhD
Changed effective Spring Term, 2007

MEHU 6331-INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE (3 credit hours)
The purpose of this course is to explore the history of medicine as one of social and cultural transformation in the conception of disease and what constitutes illness and health, all within the context of transforming conceptions of the human body and its place in the animal kingdom. The course locates the practice of medicine at the intersection of the social and biological sciences, and will utilize sources from the disciplines of the history of medicine, sociology of medicine, and medical anthropology. The 15 week semester will be divided to cover the following themes: 1) Methodological approaches to the history of science and medicine; 2) Comparative cultural systems of healing – a historic review; 3) Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Islamic Medicine; 4) Medicine and Religion; 5) Internal medicine vs. public health; 6) Bacteriology and germ theory; 7) The therapeutic revolution; 8) The rise of the hospital; 9) The social construction of disease. Course Objectives: 1) Students should come away with a sound historical understanding of the cultural transformations that led to the current system of medicine as practiced in America; 2) Students will also develop the skills to make use of primary source documents to write a historical-analytic essay that discusses such documents in the context of the history of medicine. Students will be graded according to their written work and class participation; Class participation: 15%; Short Essay #1: 20%; Short Essay #2: 25%; Final Research Essay: 40%. There will be three essays for this course, two small 8-10 and a 10-12 page essay and one final 25-30 page research essay on a topic approved by the instructor. The small essays will be to analyze the regular readings of the course, to give students experience searching for and analyzing primary sources, and to give the instructor an opportunity to help the students develop the proper historical-analytic methods in their writing. The final longer essay will be graded according to the student's ability to use both primary and secondary sources in developing a piece of original research that incorporates the lessons learned throughout the course. The course will also include a guided tour of the Blocker History of Medicine Collection in the Moody Medical Library. Students will be encouraged to make use of the Blocker Collection to find primary source materials for their research essay. Class participation is evaluated based on each student's weekly preparedness and productive contribution to class discussions. During the second half of the course each student will also be asked to assume responsibility for contextualizing the week's readings to the class, introducing the major themes, and facilitating the class discussion. Students will also make a class presentation of their research during the final session.

Prerequisite: None
Enrollment Restrictions: Minimum 1, Maximum 12
Term offered: Spring
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Jason E. Glenn, PhD
Changed effective Spring Term, 2009


MEHU 6332-HISTORY OF MEDICAL RESEARCH ETHICS (3 credit hours)
The purpose of this course is to explore the historical development of medical research ethics. The course is organized around the question of how persons and bodies are constructed, defined, and framed as legitimate sites on which to conduct biomedical research and experiments. The course will investigate this question by looking at the history of the development of ethical guidelines for research and experimentation on prisoners, the terminally ill, the indigent, the self, and war personnel, as well as general, non-suspecting patients. As this is a history course, students will be required to master analyzing both primary and secondary sources and writing sound historical arguments. Students will be graded according to their written work and class participation. There will be three essays for this course, two small essays (8-10 and 10-12 pages) and one final research essay (25-30 pages), on a topic approved by the instructor. The small essays will be to analyze the regular readings of the course, to give students experience searching for and analyzing primary sources, and to give the instructor an opportunity to help the students develop the proper historical-analytic methods in their writing. The final longer essay will be graded according to the student's ability to use both primary and secondary sources in developing a piece of original research that incorporates the lessons learned throughout the course. Class participation is evaluated based on each student's weekly preparedness and productive contribution to class discussions. During the second half of the course each student will also be asked to assume responsibility for contextualizing the week's readings to the class, introducing the major themes, and facilitating the class discussion. Students will also make a class presentation of their research during the final session. Class participation (15%); short essay #1 (20%); short essay #2 (25%); final research essay (40%).

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. This course will function as a recommended precursor but not a required prerequisite to MEHU 6310-Ethics and Regulation of Clinical Research.
Enrollment Restrictions: Minimum 1, Maximum 12
Term offered: Fall
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Jason E. Glenn, PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2007

MEHU 6363-NARRATIVES OF ILLNESS (3 credit hours)
A study of the changing nature and importance of narratives of illness. Focus will be on the historical development of patients' autobiographical narratives of illness (pathographies); the historical development of physicians' narratives of patients' illnesses (expanded case histories); and representative contemporary patients' narratives of illness that exemplify different forms and styles. Special attention will be given to theoretical background works about pathographies (Anne Hunsaker Hawkins) and the first-person narrative of illness (Arthur Frank). Course grades will be determined by the quality of participation in class discussion of assigned readings (20%), two assigned essays about course readings (20% each), and a final course paper (40%).

Prerequisite: None
Term offered: Fall
Year offered: Biennially-Even Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Enrollment Restrictions: Minimum 4, Maximum 12
Instructor: Anne Hudson Jones, PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2008

MEHU 6367-INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE AND MEDICINE (3 credit hours)
An introduction to the history, theory, and practice of literature and medicine. The first two parts of the course focus on two important traditional approaches to literature and medicine: 1) the historical development of literary images of healers; and 2) illness as metaphor or theme in classic medical novels, as well as in selected contemporary literary works. The third section of the course surveys and samples the dominant theories and methods of using literature in medical education. Particular attention is given to the aesthetic and ethical models. Students have the opportunity to practice these various approaches by reading and discussing selected works of literature. Course grades will be determined by the quality of participation in class discussion of assigned readings (20%), two assigned essays about course readings (20% each), and a final course paper (40%).

Prerequisite: None
Term offered: Spring
Year offered: Biennially-Even Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Anne Hudson Jones, PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2007

MEHU 6370-PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS (3 credit hours)
This seminar is conducted as a modern Socrates Café. The course emphasizes the most important philosophical thinkers in the Western tradition on the question of the “good” or the “good life.” Students will read and critically examine major works in Virtue Theory, Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Moral Sense Theory, and other normative theories of ethics. The course aims to develop critical skills in the philosophical analysis of human action, character, duty, ethical reasoning, and moral judgment. Students are expected to be active participants in the exchange of ideas that is at the heart of all forms of Socratic inquiry. Grading is based on class participation, two written essays and two argument summaries.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. This course will function as a recommended precursor but not a required prerequisite to MEHU 6378-Humanism and the Medical Humanities
Enrollment Restrictions: Minimum 4
Term offered: Spring
Year offered: Biennially-Even Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: Michele A. Carter, PhD
Changed effective Fall Term, 2007

MEHU 6377-ETHICS OF HEALTH POLICY (3 credit hours)
The objectives of this course are 1) to introduce students to the social and political context of health-care allocation in the U.S.; 2) to engage students in a conversation about justice in the distribution of health-care resources; and 3) to examine health-care issues raised by social inequality. The basis of our discussion will be important texts by philosophers, economists, and political theorists. The course will be a graduate seminar and students will be expected to participate in class discussion. Course grading will be based on three essays (30% each) and class participation (10%).

Prerequisite: Permission from instructor needed for non-MEHU graduate students only.
Term offered: Summer
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructors: William J. Winslade, PhD, JD, PhD
Changed effective Summer Term, 1999

MEHU 6386-PSYCHOANALYSIS, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND NEUROETHICS (3 credit hours)
Psychoanalysis will be critically examined through Freud's clinical cases, the interpretation of dreams, and selected theoretical essays. Recent developments in neuroscience and imaging techniques will provide a framework of relationships between the brain and consciousness including minimal consciousness and persistent vegetative states. The ethical implications of psychoanalysis and brain mind studies will be applied through topics such as moral and legal responsibilities. Grading criteria: (1) a book review of a relevant book on brain policy, 5-7 pages (20%); a seminar paper of at least twenty pages, exclusive of end notes (60%); class presentation and discussion of the seminar paper and class participation (20%).

Prerequisite: None
Enrollment Restrictions: None
Term offered: Spring
Year offered: Biennially-Odd Years
Hours per week: Seminar 3
Instructor: William J. Winslade, PhD, JD, PhD
Changed effective Spring Term, 2009

MEHX 6000-SPECIAL TOPICS (3 credit hours)
This course deals with various special topics in medical humanities. It will consist of readings, tutorial studies, or written papers in specific areas unrelated to the student's thesis or dissertation project, depending upon the needs of the student. This course should not be mistaken for MEHU 6308: Topics in the Medical Humanities.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Term offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week: Conference or Seminar 3
Instructor: IMH Faculty
Changed effective Spring Term, 1999

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