Courses & Curriculum

"Reflective Writing" aims to develop students’ ability to appraise and create medical reflective writing as a form of scholarship and creative expression. Students will be assigned daily readings of published medical reflection and spend time reflecting and creating their own medical reflections. Students are expected to complete at least two final pieces of written reflection for submission for dissemination through publication in medical or literary journals/magazines and/or public storytelling events.

Explore Reflective Writing in the course catalog.

"Medicine in Film" explores ways in which medical practice, important healthcare themes, and current social issues have been portrayed in film. In-person classes will include discussions with Minnesota-based filmmakers.

Explore Medicine in Film in the course catalog.

"The only certainty is death." For something we are certain to meet, in the medical profession we spend little time studying death. There is a popular notion in history of dying as an "art," that is, something that can be done well. This elective will examine accounts of dying in literature, visual art and poetry, drawing on the notion of dying as an art, something for which one can prepare and carry out well - the ars moriendi.

Explore The Art of Dying in the course catalog.

 This course introduces students to a wide range of historical sources, research methods, and creative applications for history as part of health humanities.

Students will delve into the rich collections of the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine (73,000 volumes from 1430-1945) to gain hands-on experience using historical books, journals, artwork, archives, and artifacts as research and reflective materials. Topics will include histories of particular disciplines (such as obstetrical medicine and surgery) as well as major themes in the history of health (such as invisible labor and non-Western ways of knowing). Topics will be chosen in part by instructors and in part in collaboration with students in order to fit student interests. 

Explore Introduction to Historical Health Humanities in the course catalog.

This interdisciplinary course explores the intersection of visual art and medicine, equipping students with observational, interpretative, and creative problem-solving skills through hands-on art-making and guided gallery discussions. Students will engage in hands-on studio workshops, where they will experiment with diverse artistic methods to enhance spatial awareness, empathy, and critical reflection. Additionally, facilitated Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) sessions in the galleries will strengthen their capacity to analyze and communicate complex visual information—essential skills in medical and clinical settings. 

Explore Visual Arts + Medicine in the course catalog.

Rita Charon has famously quipped that good readers make good doctors. Reading the Social Determinants uses literature to explore the complex relationship between the Social Determinants of Health, diagnosis, and the practice of medicine. This course uses techniques from narrative medicine, literary studies, and the history of medicine to supplement and extend your medical expertise, giving you the chance to practice diagnostic skills and, more importantly, to query the relationship between the clinic and the world that informs it. We will explore the way that literature forces us to discuss and to recognize the social components of health care affect an individual's context and how that environment contributes to experiences of health, illness, wellness, and relationships to medicine.

Explore Reading the Social Determinants of Health in the course catalog.

This 4 credit arranged elective serves as the capstone for medical students participating in the Arts & Humanities in Medicine Scholarly Concentration.

Explore Arts and Humanities Capstone in the course catalog.

Becoming a Doctor is an integrated, longitudinal course for third and fourth-year medical students that focuses on empowering students to transition successfully and resiliently into the role of physician.

The CFAM team leads a series of four workshops entitled "The Physiology of Reflection" that provide background data on the physiological and psychological benefits of reflective practice and provide participants with skills, time, and space for reflection. Over the course of the sessions, students learn basic reflective writing practices, explore the strangeness of medicine, discover techniques for managing worries and stress, and experience firsthand the power of sharing stories.