Playing Doctor

3 Credits.

How many times have you heard it? “I got into medicine because of [Insert Character/Show]!” Medical dramas have been mainstays of our televisual landscape since the early 1960s, and even more so since the premiere of E.R. (1994-2009). In this course, we dive deep into this most pervasive of genres. How do its tropes shape public understanding of physicians and their practices? And can these series empower clinicians and public health campaigns to improve patient outcomes? Across eight weeks, we’ll explore the history of the genre, and then dive deeply into two series, House, M.D. (2004-11), and The Pitt (2025-present), to answer these questions and much more.