Disease, Illness, and Health Through Literature

At some point in our lives, most of us will develop a serious health condition that requires extensive medical care.

We also are likely to be called on to provide care for loved ones.

Moreover, as COVID-19 has made glaringly apparent, racial, economic, social, and other inequalities mean many members of society are especially and disproportionately vulnerable to serious health conditions.

Engaging with a diverse range of films, fiction, memoirs, creative non-fiction, life writing, and drama globally by physicians and other health professionals, patients, activists, and concerned citizens, this course helps us interrogate what it means to promote healing and well-being in our personal and professional lives.

The materials with which we engage—Atul Gawande's <i>Being Mortal</i>, Jeremy Nobel's <i>Project UnLonely</i>, Paul Kalanithi's <i>When Breath Becomes Air</i>, Mai Neng Moua's <i>The Bride Price</i>, and Anne Fadiman's <i>When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down</i> on health crises such as loneliness, cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and end-of-life decisions and care—help us reflect on different ways to become strong advocates for practices that reduce suffering and promote healing.