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Health Humanities B.A.

A multidisciplinary curriculum illuminates social factors affecting health outcomes, provides training in basic bioethics and prepares students for human-centered challenges in health-related careers.

About this Program

• Bolster your cultural, historical, ethical and social knowledge relevant to health and the health professions.
• Learn about the social determinants of health, such as links between poverty and health or race and health outcomes.
• Learn new ways of thinking about disability, as well as about the impact of illness on people’s lives, and increase your empathy and tolerance for ambiguity—important skills in the health professions.
• Improve your analytical writing and critical thinking skills and apply them to health-related topics.
• Pursue undergraduate research and internship opportunities to practice these real-world skills you’ve acquired.
• Explore different career options: Through one-on-one academic advising, internships and career conversations, find a health-related career that best suits your interest in health, disease, healing and disability.
• Gain an edge in your MCAT performance (with our emphasis on critical thinking and bioethics) and admissions to medical schools or prepare for successful further study in health-related fields.

Program Information

• Degree Type: Major
• Outcome: B.A.
• Modality: In-person
• College or School: College of Arts and Sciences
• Career Path: Humanities and Languages, Social Sciences, Sports, STEM

Curriculum

As a health humanities student, you will take core requirements in areas such as medical ethics, bioethics and sociology. Then, you’ll choose from elective courses across the following categories: health and global concerns, health and social concerns, stages of life, health in communities, and health and communication. Finally, during your senior year you will complete a capstone course that requires a capstone project.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Accurately characterize the field of health humanities.
• Describe, compare and contrast some basic theories and methods in the humanities and social sciences, particularly as they relate to the health humanities.
• Describe how health humanities complements your primary major.
• Apply knowledge of the health humanities to critically evaluate, orally and in writing, media items and other statements or claims related to health, illness and health care.
• Demonstrate an ability, orally and in writing, to engage in well-informed, culturally sensitive moral reflection about specific topics related to health, illness, disability and/or health care.
• Demonstrate adequate knowledge of different cultural and historical understandings of health, illness, and/or disability, as well as an understanding of social determinants of health and health inequalities.
• Demonstrate an ability to engage in long-term cumulative learning in the health humanities, culminating in a research project presented to peers.
• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to empathetically consider others’ perspectives.

Extracurricular Opportunities

• Community service: Global Medical Brigades
• Student organization: Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society
• Student organization: Syracuse University Ambulance

Related Programs

• Biology B.A.
• Economics B.A.
• Policy Studies B.A.
• Psychology B.A.