Modern Issues, Ancient Times: Medicine in Theory and Practice

4 credits · Undergraduate

This course is an introduction to the history of medicine in the ancient Mediterranean world. The first third of the course orients participants to major historical points of reference in medicine in the Greek-speaking world, including in its context at Rome. A second segment focuses on bioethical principles, via a series of case-studies which pair practices and dilemmas from the ancient and modern worlds. The third unit focuses on the practical, philosophical and metaphorical dimensions of health- and disease-concepts as applied in antiquity and today, while the final unit invites course-participants to consider the nature and stakes of medical practice, again via paired ancient and modern lenses.