Discussion Essay
Look back on your experience reflecting on various poems, paintings, and other media.
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. Then, bring that awareness to your concept of what skills it is important for healthcare providers to possess and answer these 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?
As you answer the above questions, be sure to consider the following:
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, Mann, Frank, and others on the importance of the medical humanities
Incorporate your own thoughts and interpretations that may not have been specifically articulated in your reading and other materials.
