Disease, Illness, and Health through Literature and Film

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 from five continents 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 Being Mortal, Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air, Harriet Washington's Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans, Mai Neng Moua's The Bride Price, Anne Fadiman's When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, and films such as Philadelphia and Still Alice on health crises such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, 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.