Course Description

Narrative Medicine exists at the intersection between health and the arts. It is multi-disciplinary, so we welcome students studying health sciences, pre-med, journalism, art, music, creative writing, and many more! If you have experienced a health journey as a patient, or as a caregiver, or if you may do so in the future, you will have much to contribute and to learn. In this class, we will use art -- written, visual, musical, performance -- as a launch pad to learn how to analyze and understand our own perspectives on health and human-ness, as well as learn techniques towards appreciation and empathy of an other's perspective. Additional course fee will be utilized for a ticket to at least one major concert or performance venue during the semester which we will integrate into class experience. We will also strongly lean into creative processes and workshopping with aims at producing a final artistic piece that would be ready for submission to Scribendi, or other publication or exhibition.

Texts

No required text purchases. Text excerpts will be made available online and/or handed out during class time. Access to online UNM library systems and databases will be necessary and utilized frequently throughout the course.

Requirements

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Identify the central narrative features of time, space, narrative situation, metaphor, plot, mood and desire;
2. Articulate the perspective of various characters from selected art works through the narrative elements embedded in that art form;
3. Interpret selected texts* based on a comprehension of their narrative features. * "Texts" in this class are defined as any piece of art that is being utilized for prompting learning in the course -- may include written, visual, musical, or performance works of art.
4. Analyze and respond to texts* closely to deepen the practice of close reading/listening/viewing and support the statement that close reading skills improve close listening/viewing skills; Explore and demonstrate writing as a meaning-making process in order to be able to articulate the value of short five-minute writing exercises as discovery;
5. Develop interpersonal professional relationships with their peers that allow growing understanding of one another's perspectives via responding to one another’s writing.