Cultures of the Body

How do culture, environment, and systems shape our understanding of the human body, illness, and healthcare? This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of health humanities through the lens of lived experience, local and global practices, and structural forces. Drawing from nursing, public health, anthropology, and the humanities, students will examine how individuals and communities define health, respond to illness, and organize care. Beginning with personal and familial experiences of the body and caregiving, the course expands outward to explore comparative examinations of global health systems, cultural traditions, mental and physical health practices, and the built environment. Through case studies, visual culture, narrative, and community-based inquiry from Missouri to the rest of the world, students will develop analytical skills to interpret cultural, visual, and narrative perspectives on illness and care. Recommended: ENGLSH 1000.