HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND WELLNESS STUDIES
2022-2023
HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND WELLNESS STUDIES Dr. Alice Veksler, Director Luter Hall 255 (757) 594-7461 alice.veksler@cnu.edu Minor in Health, Medical, and Wellness Studies (18 credit hours) The minor in health, medical, and wellness studies is designed to bring together courses from across the university that focus on the study of human health. The World Health Organization defines health in part as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” As such, this minor is intended to provide a broad range of contexts for understanding the concept of health from an interdisciplinary lens. Courses draw from multiple colleges with a particular focus on the social sciences. Students will learn about the historical landscape of health studies, public health, health communication, doctor-patient interaction, medical anthropology, health administration, complementary medicine, and general wellness, among other topics. The minor should be of interest to anyone interested in a healthcare or allied health profession or students who want a better understanding of their own health and wellness.
THE CURRICULUM IN HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND WELLNESS STUDIES The following course descriptions appear in appropriate sections throughout the catalog. Core Introduction to Health, Medical, and Wellness Studies COMM 360 Health and Medical Communication IDST 201
Electives BIOL 113 BIOL 271 BIOL 319 COMM 367 CRIM 374
Program Objectives 1. To provide students with an interdisciplinary perspective regarding the study of health and wellness.
HIST 382 HIST 383
2.
To offer a minor for students who wish to enrich their lives by learning to improve their own health.
3.
To offer a minor for students who want to work in an allied health profession.
4.
To help students become more engaged citizens by gaining an understanding of how health, medicine, and wellness affect all aspects of people’s lives.
HIST 397 LDSP 340 LDSP 370 PHIL 344 PHIL 384 RSTD 236 RSTD 338 SOCL 315
Program Requirements 1. A minimum of 18 credit hours as listed are required to complete the minor; 2. IDST 201; 3. COMM 360; 4. Four additional courses (12 credit hours) of electives from the approved list of electives; 5. No more than two courses from any one academic department or discipline can count toward the minor; 6. Special topics and other courses can be used if approved by the director.
Topics in Medicine and Health Medical Terminology Nutrition and Energy Homeostasis Contemporary Topics in Health Communication Substance Use and Addiction (SOCL 374 and SOWK 374 equivalent) Disease and the Rise of Modern Medicine Filthy Paris: Sex, Health, and Hygiene in the City of Light Medicine and theAfrican American Experience Outdoor Leadership Leading in the Healthcare Industry Yoga: Philosophy and Practice Medical Ethics Sacred Communication, Sacred Journeys Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail Health and Healing
IDST 201. Introduction to Health, Medical, and Wellness Studies (3-3-0) IDST 201 serves as an interdisciplinary foundational course for the health, medical, and wellness studies minor. This course will explore health, disease, and healing from a range of disciplinary perspectives such as history, anthropology, philosophy, leadership, and public health, and will examine the overlap and interplay among these perspectives. Students will gain a broader understanding of what it means to be healthy, how and when sickness occurs, and what the institutions of healing look like outside of the domain of biology and medicine. This will be facilitated through the use of introductory texts, guest lectures, and class discussions. The final project will ask students to apply the theories and approaches discussed in this class to a health or health care issue of their choice.
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