The Health & Medical Humanities (HHUM) program, housed in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, is supported by faculty and departments across the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, including Africana Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice and Criminology, English, History, Language and Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychological Science and Sociology.
Health & Medical Humanities (HHUM) offers an undergraduate minor and a concentration within the Interdisciplinary Studies major. Both engage students in the humanistic and cultural study of illness, health, healthcare, and the body. This program is also intended to enhance personal reflection, critical thinking skills, and the ability to understand the personal, social, historical, and cultural contexts of health, illness, and medical care.
The program is open to students across all colleges in the university. Students in both the minor and the concentration take two required classes: HHUM 2100, Introduction to Health & Medical Humanities (3 credits), and HHUM 4800, Portfolio Capstone in Health & Medical Humanities (3 credits). Between these two classes, students take four approved electives from various social sciences, humanities, arts, and natural sciences departments. Throughout, students investigate health, healing, and disease questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives and integrate their insights into an interdisciplinary portfolio as a capstone project. Note: Students in IDST/HHUM also take IDST 3100 Interdisciplinary Methods.