Medical Humanities Requirements

To complete the certificate, students must take two required courses and three electives.

What do I do when I'm done?

To get a certificate, simply take the required courses. When you have completed them, fill out the Certificate Clearance form and send to program director Sophie Horowitz for her signature.

 

  • Philosophy 164: Medical Ethics (4 credits, AT)
    (online Winter 2025, on campus Spring 2025)
  • History 264: History of Health Care and Medicine in the United States (4 credits, HS)
    (online Winter 2025)
  • Art History 304: Biology and Art
  • Classics 250: Classical Origins of Western Medicine and Medical Terminology (HS)
  • English 317: (Dis)Ability and Literature (3 credits)
  • English 391NM: Narrative Medicine: How Writing Can Heal (3 credits)
  • French Studies 333: Medicine in France: Intrigues, Ethics, and Universal Healthcare (conducted in French) (on campus Spring 2025)
  • Italian 333: Representing Women's Bodies: Poetry, Politics, and Power (4 credts, AL) (on campus Spring 2025)
  • Japanese 353: Japan through its Afflictions (3 credits)
  • Judaic 251: Jews, Medicine, and Healing in the Premodern World (DG, HS)
  • LLC 451 Working with Trained Interpreters (2 credits)
  • LLC 552: Medical Interpreting (3 credits, language proficiency and department acceptance required)
  • Philosophy 180: Death and the Meaning of Life (DG, SB) (online & on campus Spring 2025)
  • Psychology 327: Disability Advocacy and its History
  • Psychology 356: Disabilities and Development
  • Psychology 387: Autism Spectrum Disorder (on campus Spring 2025)
  • Sociology 353: Sociology of Medicine (on campus Spring 2025)
  • Spanish 456: Spanish Translation for Community Health Services
  • Spanish 356: Spanish for the Medical Professions (on campus Spring 2025)
  • WGSS 205: Feminist Health Politics (3 credits) (on campus Spring 2025)
  • WGSS 230: The Politics of Reproduction
  • WGSS 285: Introduction to the Biology of Difference (4 credits, SI, DU)
  • WGSS 286: History of Sexuality and Race in the United States (DU, HS) (on campus Spring 2025)

A student may petition to have a maximum of one course not on this list counted as an elective, at the discretion of the Certificate’s academic advisor. Courses must cover a significant amount of material related to health and medicine, and related concepts such as disease, disability, etc., from a humanistic perspective. Neither of the required courses, Phil 164 or Hist 264, may be replaced by the discretionary elective.

Next Steps

Are you interested in pursuing the certificate? We would love to hear from you. Follow the link below or contact Program Director shorowitz [at] umass [dot] edu (Sophie Horowitz).