The human sciences (another name for the humanities) are concerned with the nature of human existence. This means that literature, as one of those sciences, is both a place where we engage with general philosophical questions about life, and a place where we work carefully through questions about disability, health, ageing, psychology, contagion, and addiction. The study of these literary questions is part of the emerging field of Health Humanities. If you think this field might interest you -- if you are interested in how illness and health are imagined, constructed, and represented in popular forms like the novel, for example -- consider building your English program around these courses with a focus on Health Humanities:
- ENGL 2609H: Contagion
- ENGL 3609H: SickLit
- ENGL 3700Y/3701H: Writing the Body
Fourth-year English courses in this field are also regularly offered; please see our updated list of 4000-level courses for details.
We recommend complementing and contextualizing these studies with courses in Philosophy, Sociology, Canadian Studies or History which also contribute to the field of Health Humanities. Consider taking one or more of these courses:
- PHIL 2030H: Death
- HIST 2601H: Public Health and Medicine: Doctors, Nurses, and Patients in History
- SOCI 4420H: Aging and the Lifecourse
- CAST-SOCI-WMST: 4551H: Gender and Disability in Canada
- HIST 4800Y: History of Madness
For more information about literature and the health humanities, contact Professor Kelly McGuire: kellymcguire@trentu.ca