Medical Humanities and Health Studies Minor

Program Description

The Medical Humanities and Health Studies minor promotes the study of medicine, health, and illness from a range of humanities and social science perspectives. All the liberal arts disciplines contribute to our understanding of the human experience of illness, suffering, mortality, and the role of the healer. The Medical Humanities and Health Studies minor allows students in pre-health programs, liberal arts, business, and STEM fields to complement their majors with an interdisciplinary and humanistic approach to this complex and rewarding area of study.

The Medical Humanities and Health Studies minor consists of 24 credit hours: 2 core MHS courses (one in each of two core disciplines), PHL 3000 Critical Thinking, and 5 MHS electives. The two core disciplines examine topics–Ethics and Health Communication–that are fundamental to medical humanities. PHL 3000, Critical Thinking, similarly provides essential skills for work in medical humanities and the health professions. Elective coursework is flexible, allowing students to concentrate their studies in areas of greatest interest. Twelve hours of course work that are taken to fulfill major requirements or General Education requirements may double count as MHS core or elective hours.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the Medical Humanities and Health Studies minor, a student must:

have been admitted to a major subject at Wright State University
have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher

Student Performance

To remain in good standing in the MHS minor, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Admission Process

Submit Major/Minor Change Request form online in WINGS Express. (Select the “Registration and Records” menu and then the “Major/Minor Change Request” option.)

For additional information:

Program Requirements:

Departmental Core Requirements: 6 Hours

COM 3250 - Health Communication Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3110 - Ethics Credit Hour(s): 3

Departmental Electives: 15 Hours

Students must take one course from each of the following areas:

Medical Humanities Electives
Health Studies Electives

The additional 9 elective hours may be taken from either category. Elective courses must be drawn from the list below or other courses as approved by the program adviser.

Medical Humanities Electives:
ENG 3010 - Topics in Reading Credit Hour(s): 3 (Literature & Medicine)
HST 3100 - Surveys of European History Credit Hour(s): 3 (History of Medicine)
HST 4870 - Special Topics in History Credit Hour(s): 3
Choose from the following topics:
- History of Science to Newton
- History of Science post-Newton
- Science, Medicine, and Occult Traditions
- History of Psychology
PHL 3110 - Ethics Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3120 - History of Ethics Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3780 - Bioethics Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3990 - Studies in Selected Subjects Credit Hour(s): 3 (Research Ethics)
PHL 3990 - Studies in Selected Subjects Credit Hour(s): 3 (Ancient Science)
OR
CLS 3500 - Studies in Ancient Culture and Society Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4710 - Philosophy of Science Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4390 - Bioethics and Law Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3900 - Topics in Philosophy of Religion Credit Hour(s): 3 (Religion & Medicine)
REL 3400 - Topics in Asian Religion Credit Hour(s): 3 (Asian Medicine)
WGS 4800 - Studies in Selected Subjects Credit Hour(s): 3 (Reproductive Justice: 19th & 20th Centuries)
Medical Humanities Electives:
ATH 3200 - Special Topics in Cultural Anthropology Credit Hour(s): 3 (Medical Anthropology)
ATH 3320 - Human Variation and Adaptation Credit Hour(s): 3
COM 4710 - Topics in Communication Credit Hour(s): 3
Choose from the following topics:
- Health Campaigns
- Health Narratives in the Media
- Gender and Health in the Media
- Qualitative Methodology in Health Communication
- Contemporary Issues in Media and Health Communication
- Interpersonal Communication for Health Professionals
PLS 3750 - Human Rights in United States Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4160 - Sex and the Law Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4480 - Gender Violence & American Politics Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4490 - Gender Violence and International Politics Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4520 - International Human Rights Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3800 - Population and Society Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3810 - Health and Society Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 4800 - Aging and HIV Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 4810 - Health of Vulnerable Populations Credit Hour(s): 3
SW 4620 - Social Gerontology I Credit Hour(s): 3
SW 3890 - Selected Topics in Social Work Credit Hour(s): 1 to 3 (Aging and End of LIfe Issues)
WGS 3050 - Topics in Sexuality Studies Credit Hour(s): 3 (Sexuality, Gender & Health)

Related Course Requirements: 3 Hours

Required

PHL 3000 - Critical Thinking Credit Hour(s): 3