Fall 2009 Courses
Course scheduling is subject to change. Days, times, instructors, class locations, and call numbers are available on the Directory of Classes.
Fall course information begins posting to the Directory of Classes in February; Summer course information begins posting in March; Spring course information begins posting in June. For course information missing from the Directory of Classes after these general dates, please contact the department or program.
- NMED K4020x. Narrative Medicine: Giving and Receiving Accounts of Self. 4 pts.
- NMED K4025x. Illness Narratives: Embodiment, Community, Activism. 4 pts.
- NMED K4100x. The Self and Other in the Clinical Encounter. 4 pts.
- NMED K4250x. Co-constructing Narratives. 4 pts.
NMED K4020. Narrative Medicine: Giving and Receiving Accounts of Self. 4 pts.
Description
What are the clinical applications of literary knowledge? How are illnesses plotted represented? Does suffering belong to a genre? Can a medical history be co-narrated in order to redistribute ownership and authority? What does Geoffrey Hartman mean by the term "story cure?" The objectives of this course include advancing the instrumental value of literary practice in medical practice. At the center of this project are medical encounters in which one person gives an account of himself or herself and another person is expected to receive it. In examining the complexities of this exchange, to help clinicians to fulfill their "receiving" duties more effectively, we turn to narrative theory, performance theory, autobiographical theory, psychoanalytic theory, and the nexus of narrative/identity. Readings include works by, Henry James, W. G. Sebald, Kazuo Ishiguro, Judith Butler, Adriana Cavarero, Hannah Arendt, Arthur Frank, as well as illness narratives, trauma scholarship, and witnessing literature. The clinical component of the seminar take place in Dr. Charon's internal medicine practice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where graduate students will have the opportunity to function as witness, observing and representing what occurs in the office or on rounds as a way to help both patient and doctor to take full measure of what they do together.
NMED K4025. Illness Narratives: Embodiment, Community, Activism. 4 pts.
Description
Recent decades have witnessed the emergence of illness and disability autobiographies as a unique field of literary and sociological study. Autobiographies written by individuals experiencing illness bring to the fore issues of subjectivity and embodiment, while simultaneously reflecting larger social, political, and cultural realities. This course the field of illness and disability autobiography as well as prominent scholarship in this field. The primary goal of the course is to examine issues of embodiment and voice in illness narratives. The course is to examine the relationship between illness and disability narratives and their familial, social, and institutional contexts. Finally, this course addresses the issue of “personal to political” narratives—illness and disability narratives as they relate to broader advocacy and activism. As narrative is both analytical and practical, this course combines theoretical articles with a variety of illness autobiographies and illness narratives. The course incorporates short weekly narratives based on a personal illness experience of a student’s own or that of a close family member or friend.
NMED K4100. The Self and Other in the Clinical Encounter. 4 pts.
Description
Who is the Other? What is the nature of the relationship between oneself and the Other—the intersubjective relationship? Is this relationship immediate or mediated? If mediated, by what? Can I ever truly know the Other? If so, how? What does “knowing” the Other mean? What is the role of language in the intersubjective relationship? This class explores “intersubjectivity” and the “Other” as terms central to the study of Narrative Medicine. Students examine various ways of conceptualizing these terms, from Cartesianism, Hegelianism, Phenomenology, Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and other traditions. Through this exploration of intersubjectivity and Otherness, the class challenges our assumptions about the nature of the clinical encounter, with a view toward better understanding the ways that Narrative Medicine might foster authentic intersubjective, empathetic relationships between clinicians and patients.
NMED K4250. Co-constructing Narratives. 4 pts.
Description
This course is an in-depth exploration of the way in which narratives are co-constructed, negotiated, and performed. The reciprocal relationship between storytelling and listening is an additional focus of the course. Students apply current and previous experience to the presentation of a co-constructed narrative. The course is structured in three interrelated phases: The first phase addresses theoretical foundations and philosophical issues of narrative approaches, dialogue, and negotiation; the second phase focuses on practical components, including creating safe spaces for storytelling, uncovering the obstacles to listening, and elucidating the basic elements of storytelling; and the final phase includes the presentation and in-depth analyses of student co-constructed narratives. To facilitate the application of knowledge accrued about the co-construction of narratives, students examine and analyze a series of illustrative examples over the course of the semester, including documentary films, published articles, and live performances.
