Essay Topic
Write for 10 minutes without stopping, even if you must write “I don’t know what to write right now” to keep your hand or fingers moving. The idea with freewriting is to give yourself the opportunity to discover ideas you may not know you had or to stumble upon a new idea that takes you somewhere interesting.
We have explored the human experience of receiving a diagnosis, facing illness, tolerating suffering, and approaching death, while we have also considered why studying the humanities gives us, as friends, family, and most importantly caregivers, the ability to develop compassion and empathy to offer others. While it is generally agreed that studying the humanities does provide us the skill of empathy, it is not always so easy to articulate why this is true. In your final paper, you will write an analytical essay and attempt to do so.
Think about what you were able to experience vicariously through the words, expression, and visualization of the artists.
Consider what new knowledge, understanding, sensitivity, or sensation you were able to encounter that you would not have done otherwise.
As you answer these questions:
Then, bring that awareness to your concept of what skills it is important for healthcare providers to possess and answer the questions:
Why do we study the humanities if we are treating the body?
What does studying the humanities give us that mere scientific study and exploration cannot?
What does contemplating art and considering the beauty of the human experience, even a painful one, bring to the healthcare provider’s landscape of understanding?
Include your observations and reflections from your favorite discussion posts and the ideas and discoveries the works of art from the modules inspired in you, consider the words of Martignoni, et al. and incorporate their concepts where appropriate, incorporate your own thoughts and interpretations that may not have been specifically articulated in your reading and other materials.
