Medicine and Nursing Today

Medicine and nursing are disciplines at the intersection of illness, wellness, caregiving, and science. In this course, we’ll begin by exploring the many ways that doctors and nurses make a difference in the world, through such diverse topics as cancer research, the organization Doctors Without Borders, and end of life care. Through a variety of texts and documentaries, we'll learn more about career possibilities in these disciplines.

We’ll also examine the challenges of our health care system, and the roles that chronic disease, an aging population, and financial inequality play within it, and ask and answer larger questions about what it means to be a human being with a body that is both incredibly resilient and incredibly fragile. Students will do individual research on a medicine or nursing related topic of their choice, and we’ll share our research with other interested members of the campus community at the end of the semester.