Undergraduate Course: Medicine in Literature 1: Illness Narratives through History (ENLI10355)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines the dynamic relationship between literature and medicine from the early modern period to the present day, giving students the opportunity to consider the ways in which literature and medicine have influenced each other over time. The chronology of the course does not trace a history of medical progress; rather, it follows literature's interruption of and critical reflection on that history. Grotesque bodily humour, mysterious wounds, accounts of trauma, unspeakable pain, and the disruption of mind by illness will offer an alternative, literary perspective on medical history. Students will have the opportunity to place literary texts in their historical context, in order to better understand their reflections on illness, health, and medicine. The course will appeal to students who have a particular interest in the intersections between medicine, science and literature.
Important note re Content
In this course we will be discussing content that may be traumatising to some students. We believe in the importance of engaging with this material and so please rest assured that we will work with you to ensure you can participate fully and demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes of the course, without compromising your wellbeing or your academic development. If you have concerns at any point we invite you to approach the course organiser Dr Katherine Inglis (k.inglis@ed.ac.uk) to discuss how we can best support you in your work on this course. We affirm that you will be treated with dignity and respect in all discussions and at every stage of the course.
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| Course description |
This course consolidates students' knowledge of the critical study of English Literature through the close examination of works of drama, poetry, and prose from the early modern period to the present day. The course is designed to expose students to a range of literary forms (essays, short fiction, short lyric, plays, realist fiction, memoir) and to develop modes of analysis appropriate for engaging with each. The set reading list is available on the Resource List for the course. The chronological structure broadly traces the stages of life (from conception to end of life), mapping these onto a chronological survey of major literary periods (early modern to contemporary literature).
The course's historical approach will train students in methods appropriate for analysing texts in their historical contexts, with a particular focus on the relationship between the history of medicine (defined broadly to include health, wellbeing, and illness). The course also introduces students to theories that are of particular importance in the emerging field of the medical humanities, and which offer alternative models for analysing issues raised in their core course texts, such as disability studies, trauma theory, narrative ethics and narratology. The course will introduce students to interdisciplinary scholarship, through critical study of the dynamic relationship between literature and medicine.
Students who are interested in this course might also like to consider Medical Ethics in Literature, which focuses on related issues in twentieth-century to contemporary literature.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 24 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
plus 1 hour Autonomous Learning Group per week, at time to be arranged.
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One mid-semester Coursework Essay of 2,500 words: 40%
One Final Essay of 3000 words: 60%
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| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback on both assessments. They will also receive feedback on weekly formative group assignments. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- use subject-specific vocabulary correctly to discuss 'illness' in its literary and historical context, drawing upon major critical and theoretical approaches to the study of illness in the literary medical humanities, particularly: close reading, disability studies, and history of medicine
- analyse the relationship between literature and medicine as expressed in texts on the course
- demonstrate competency in interdisciplinary research by applying literary critical, historical, and medical humanities approaches to analyse the representation of 'illness' in texts on the course
- articulate (in written form) an informed understanding of the diverse meanings of 'illness' in texts on the course
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Reading List
Resource List for course:
https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/18387933730002466?auth=SAML
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katherine Inglis
Tel: (0131 6)50 3617
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Sheila Strathdee
Tel: (0131 6)50 3619
Email: |
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