ENGL160D3

041526

This course analyzes and compares the representation of disease and health in narrative. The course explores the intersection of narrative and illness, and thus it should be of interest to students planning a future in a health or science-related field, as well as those who wish to pursue humanistic studies. Students can expect to read, discuss, and write about works from diverse cultural traditions, and to study more than one genre and historical period. The course takes as its starting point the idea, current in medical humanities research, that illness and healing are often understood in the context of storytelling. Narratives of sickness, recovery, treatment and mortality frequently rely on literary language and devices for their rhetorical power. In exploring such narratives students will confront questions such as: How do stories of healing differ across cultures, and over time? How does language determine our understanding of illness, and our responses to it?

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

GE - T1-TRAD (Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures)