Narrative Ethics (Literary Text and Moral Issues in Medicine) OpenCourseWare: A Free Graduate Level Health Science Course by MIT

Published Jan 14, 2009

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Explore medical ethics through the interpretive lens of literature and poetry in 'Narrative Ethics: Literary Texts and Moral Issues in Medicine.' This free online OpenCourseWare from MIT uses literary texts, such as Kafka's 'Metamorphosis,' to teach analytical skills that can be critical to the practice of medicine. 'Narrative Ethics: Literary Texts and Moral Issues in Medicine' is a graduate-level self-study course that is well suited to medical students and individuals seeking a master's or doctoral degree in Medicine or Biology.

Narrative Ethics (Literary Text and Moral Issues in Medicine): Course Specifics

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Narrative Ethics (Literary Text and Moral Issues in Medicine): Course Description

Many works of literature offer social, political and philosophical insight on medicine and bioethics. Using authors like Kafka, Chekhov and Tolstoy, 'Narrative Ethics: Literary Text and Moral Issues in Medicine' introduces literary and poetic commentary on clinical medicine. Through critical readings, medical students and professionals could learn important analytical tools for the evaluation and resolution of ethical challenges presented in medicine. Issues such as context, contingency and circumstance can be examined using narrative texts. Students are encouraged to keep a reading response journal to reflect on issues such as illness, values, patient care and a doctor's moral role. Professor Martha Montello taught this MIT course in a lecture format.

A bibliography of suggested readings is offered on the course website. If you're interested in this free online self-study course, visit the narrative ethics course page.