Representations of Health Issues in Literature

Curriculum guideline

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Course
ENGL 3180
Discontinued
No
Course code
ENGL 3180
Descriptive
Representations of Health Issues in Literature
Department
English
Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Credits
4.00
Start date
End term
201430
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
25
Contact hours
4 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities

Some or all of the following methods will be used:

  1. lecture/discussion;
  2. group work;
  3. peer editing
  4. instructor feedback on students’ work
  5. individual consultation
Course description
This course is for students from any discipline who wish to explore through literature a variety of personal, social, cultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives on health-related experiences. The literary readings may include a variety of forms such as fiction, poetry, or life writing, and the health issues considered may include diverse topics related to mental and/or physical health. The course will cover a broad range of topics and readings, for example through different time periods or cultural contexts. The literary representations of health will be discussed in the light of related readings from a range of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, criminology, nursing, or medicine.
Course content

All third-year English literature courses share the following features:  

  1. Students are presumed to have had first-year level instruction and experience in writing critical essays on literary subjects.
  2. Students are required to read in the course subject area beyond the texts assigned by the instructor.
  3. Students are required to incorporate into their oral and written coursework secondary source materials which may include biographical information, literary criticism or theory, unassigned texts by the author under study, relevant cultural or intellectual history, or other aesthetic works such as music or visual art.
  4. Readings and topics vary with each instructor’s presentation of a course, but all course materials are consistent with the objectives and outcomes of the course.           

 In English 3180,

  1. The literary readings may include such diverse genres and forms as fiction, poetry, drama, literary non-fiction, and life writing;
  2. These literary readings will be complemented by related readings from diverse non-literary perspectives, such as journalistic essays, articles from academic journals, or internet information pages; and
  3. Each set of readings will encourage students to examine health-related issues or experiences from a number of perspectives.
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of any third year English literature course, students should be able to

  1. appreciate a wide variety of literary texts and integrate their understanding of literature into an evolving awareness of relevant cultural and historical contexts and perspectives;
  2. perceive connections among literary texts across genres, historical periods, or cultural contexts;
  3. conduct independent research to supplement the course material and integrate this information into course assignments;
  4. write different kinds of literary analysis, such as thematic, technical, or theoretical analyses;
  5. write essays that demonstrate an awareness of  how literature can both represent and influence lived experience.

Upon completion of English 3180, students should also be familiar with a range of literary representations of health-related experiences and issues, and should have

  1. analyzed the use of literary techniques and forms to describe specific experiences related to mental and/or physical health;
  2. deepened their understanding of the mental and/or physical experiences described in the readings from this course;
  3. understood from this literature the dynamic and evolving nature of cultural attitudes towards particular aspects of mental and/or physical health, for example sanity, psychiatric disorders, body image, wellness, or disability;
  4. learned to form their opinions and arguments about health issues by drawing from a variety of perspectives such as literary, clinical, sociological, psychological, economic, and public policy points of view;
  5. broadened their understanding of the diverse ways people experience their minds and bodies, and the diverse cultural and social views of this experience;
  6. begun to integrate into their own disciplines and work experience the information and understanding they have acquired through this course.
Means of assessment
  1. A minimum of two academic essays and a final exam.
  2. A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs).  A maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments.
Textbook materials

A study of changing attitudes toward mental health through Western history might require these texts:

  • A coursepack including selections from Greek mythology, the Bible, and medieval literature, as well as non-literary essays and articles.
  • Hamlet
  • The Sorrows of Young Werther
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
  • The Bell Jar
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Prerequisites

Any TWO university-transfer first-year English courses AND a minimum of 45 credit hours