Medicine and the Liberal Arts
Medicine and the Liberal Arts
Medicine and the liberal arts provides students with a broad humanistic viewpoint of the medical situations that present themselves over the course of life. Students will gain a fuller understanding of the art of healing and relating to patients than can be obtained solely through the required course of study in the sciences. The relevance of such a program extends past pre-med students to students of various majors, whether they be planning careers that will deal explicitly with medical issues (for example, government, ministry and health care administration), or whether they simply want to gain a fuller understanding of the ethical, religious and social implications of medical questions that face us all.
Meet Dr. Christine Dinkins
Dr. Christine Sorrell Dinkins, Kenan Professor of Philosophy, coordinates the program. She earned her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University. She teaches courses such as Philosophy in Practice, Ancient Philosophy, and Philosophy of Medicine. She is co-editor of the book “Listening to the Whispers: Re-thinking Ethics in Healthcare,” and her current scholarship focuses on empathy and ethics in nursing education.
Meet Dr. Anne Rodrick
Dr. Anne Rodrick, Reeves Family Professor of History, coordinates the program. She also coordinates the college’s 19th Century Studies program. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. History of science is one of her research interests.
WOFFORD STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 15 HOURS OF APPROVED COURSES AND MLA 475
List of approved courses (4 are required, coming from at least 3 different prefix designations):
ANTH 312: Medical Anthropology
ANTH 412: Global Health
BIO 303: Introduction to Public Health
ECON 340: Economics of Medical Care
ENVS 341: Health and the Environment
GOV 345: Health Care Policy and Administration
HIST 387: History of Medicine
MLA 470: Independent Study in Medicine and the Liberal Arts (course must be approved in advance by program coordinators)
PHIL 210: Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 223: Philosophy of Science
PHIL 340: Philosophy of Medicine
PSY 270: Health Psychology
REL 264: Religion and Medicine
REL 332: Spirituality and Traditional Chinese Medicine
OR: Other courses approved by the program coordinators, including classes completed abroad. Students interested in pursuing a medical or health care internship as part of the program should consult with the coordinators well in advance to secure approval.