The minor in Bioethics & Medical Humanities explores the human experience of health and illness from a global perspective. Health care in the twenty-first century calls for a well-rounded education that includes the arts and humanities as well as the sciences.
Examine health and health care through the lens of ethics, history, culture, diversity, literature, visual and performing arts.
If you are interested in issues like racial inequities in health care, cross-culture studies of medicine, and the impact of illness on patients, families, and communities, this minor is for you.
This program prepares students for careers in the health sciences, law, bioinformatics, the pharmaceutical industry, and all other aspects of the healthcare industry. Plus, graduate programs in the health sciences prefer students with a strong humanities background.
The minor also provides transferable skills for fields such as counseling, PT/OT, and education.
Studying Bioethics and Medical Humanities enhances your empathy and insight, helping you to thrive in your career.
Courses in the Minor
We offer a wide range of courses that examine health and illness from different perspectives and within and across various fields. Students are encouraged to consult with the Bioethics & Medical Humanities Minor advisor, Wendy Horwitz, via email: [email protected] . Courses that are regularly offered at Abington include (but are not limited to):
Required Courses
PHIL 132 / RLST 132: Bioethics [GH]
BMH 490: Bioethics and Medical Humanities Capstone Course
Additional Courses
(12 credits) of which 3 credits must be at the 400 level, and at least one course must be selected from the list of Ethics courses. Other relevant courses may be counted in consultation with the minor advisor.
Ethics
BIOET 110N: Health, Illness, and the Human Condition [GH; GS]
HDFS 301: Values and Ethics in Health and Human Development Professions
PHIL 4: The Human Condition [GH]
PHIL 103 or 103W: Ethics [GH]
PHIL 120N: Knowing Right from Wrong [GH; GS]
Arts & Humanities
AA 193N: The Craft of Comics (Instructor: Emily Steinberg) [GA; GH]
ASIA 106N: Asian Traditions of Health, Medicine, and the Body [GH; GHW; IL]
ASIA 405Y: Seminar in Asian Studies (Instructor: Pierce Salguero) [IL]
ENGL 474: Issues in Rhetoric and Composition (Instructor: Stephen Cohen)
HIST 114N: Historical Perspectives on HealthCare Innovations [GH; GS; US]
HIST 497: Special Topics [when relevant focus]
HUM 100N: Foundations in the Humanities: Understanding the Human Experience [GA; GH]
Health & Health Systems
BBH 119: Behavior, Health, and Disease [GHW]
BBH 146: Introduction to Health and Human Sexuality [GHW]
HDFS 445: Development through Adulthood
H P A 101: Introduction to Health Services Organization
H P A 332: Health Systems Management
KINES 100: The Cultural and Behavioral Foundations of Kinesiology
NUTR 251: Introductory Principles of Nutrition [GHW]
PSYCH 416: Development through Adulthood
RHS 100: Introduction to Disability Culture [GS; IL; US]
RHS 300: Intro to Rehabilitation and Human Services
RHS 401: Community Mental Health Practice and Services
RHS 403: Medical Aspects of Disability
SOC 451: Health, Disease & Society [GS]
Relevant ACURA projects can also be counted toward the above requirements.