Medicine and the Muse

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Medicine and the Muse: Writing Through Change Students will examine a variety of contemporary texts including fiction, essay, memoir, and other narratives which deal with themes of change: illness and health, aging, climate change, displacement, employment, and other changed circumstances, ideas, or beliefs. Change is often resisted, but may also be embraced. From the health of our bodies to the borders of our nation-states, change defines the arc of human existence. Coming in the wake of a global pandemic, the worst since the ongoing AIDS crisis, this course contemplates the ways in which change has impacted all our lives. We will consider, too, the role narrative plays in the creation of identity and a person’s personal history, and how that self-creation may be suddenly and dramatically reconfigured through change. Most importantly we will write! Creative writing will form a major part of this course. You will be encouraged to mine your own experiences and observations of people and the world around you to find and explore your voice and different styles of writing. Students will be given practical exercises focusing on elements of the craft of creative writing: perspective, point of view, voice, dialogue, and narrative structure. All are welcome, from those who have never written before, to those with some experience and everyone in between. Be prepared to bring your work to the class and to give and receive feedback in classroom workshops. Through this approach, you will hone your close reading abilities and writing skills while analyzing central themes of change in its many forms. This course has been designed in conjunction with the Lannan Medical Humanities Symposium, THE BODY, February 6/7-8, 2023. Student attendance at the symposium is a course requirement.