Health Humanities, Additional Major
Jason D'Antonio, Ph.D.
Director of the CMU Health Professions Program and Associate Teaching Professor of Biological Sciences
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/academics/degrees-majors-minors/health-humanities
Additional Major in Health Humanities
Overview
The additional major in Health Humanities is grounded in a scientific, social scientific and humanistic approach that recognizes the fact that study of the human experience includes essential empirical, as well as interpretive and analytical elements. The program integrates body- and anatomy-based coursework with consideration of social, ethical and cognitive factors of health.
A nuanced understanding of health as part of the human experience requires a complex and focused course of study, equally informed by scientific understanding, quantitative skills, communication skills and the ability to reflect and interpret health issues on one’s own with a goal of relating compassionately to others. Our program achieves this integration by combining coursework in life sciences, humanities, social sciences and technology to offer students rigorous preparation for a variety of career and graduate study options in fields that deal with health issues.
Students interested in learning more about the full curriculum may contact Jason D'Antonio.
Curriculum
The Health Humanities additional major requires a total of 11 courses and the completion of a capstone project.
Required Courses
Complete the following five (5) required courses:
| Units | ||
| 03-135 | Structure and Function of the Human Body | 9 |
| or 03-132 | Basic Science to Modern Medicine | |
| or 42-202 | Physiology | |
| 03-133 | Neurobiology of Disease | 9 |
| or 03-161 | Molecules to Mind | |
| or 09-303 | Hooked: The Molecular Basis of Addiction | |
| or 85-170 | Foundations of Brain and Behavior | |
| 79-330 | Medicine and Society: Health, Healers, and Hospitals | 9 |
| 80-245 | Medical Ethics | 9 |
| 36-200 | Reasoning with Data * | 9 |
| or 36-202 | Methods for Statistics & Data Science | |
| 45 | ||
- *
or a course to be pre-approved
Capstone Project (9 units)
Students will develop and carry out a research project that investigates how at least two topics from topical areas above intersect, analyzing how these topics inform the humanities’ influence on health. Traditionally, a capstone experience invites students to reflect on and/or synthesize the knowledge and the methods they have learned throughout their undergraduate years. We endorse this requirement but interpret it liberally. Students may satisfy this requirement by completing a capstone project, course or other experience worth at least 9 units. Capstone experiences can be supervised by faculty anywhere in the university. A wide variety of experiences can satisfy this requirement, including an honors thesis, an interdisciplinary student-team project managed by a department or the Dean's office or a creative project.
Students should work with the Health Humanities advisor to initiate the process of identifying their capstone topic and advisor during the fall of their senior year at the latest. Students will be required to submit a written proposal of their capstone project, signed by their faculty advisor, before the end of the semester preceding that in which the capstone project will be completed.