HEHE 5550 (Course listed under Independent Study section 001)

Research Methods in the Health Humanities (3 credit hours)

REMOTE:  Blended asynchronous learning in an 8 week format with three in-person meetings on the following Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 pm: January 23rd, February 13th, and March 13th.

Starts January 23, 2025

Course Description:

The Health Humanities Research Methods course provides comprehensive training in qualitative and interpretive research approaches used to understand lived experiences of health, illness, and healthcare through humanities and social science perspectives. Students will gain theoretical foundations in phenomenology, narrative inquiry, ethnography, discourse analysis, and arts-based methods, with particular attention to ethical approaches for working with vulnerable populations in healthcare settings. The course emphasizes how different methodological traditions - from literary analysis to visual ethnography to oral history - can reveal unique insights into how people make meaning of health experiences and navigate healthcare systems. Through hands-on research exercises, students will practice multiple data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, close reading, visual analysis, and participatory arts-based approaches. The course pays special attention to power dynamics in healthcare research, trauma-informed practices, and methods for amplifying traditionally marginalized voices. Students will develop practical skills in research design, data collection, interpretation, and presentation while considering how different methodological choices align with research questions about lived experiences of health and illness.

HEHE 5550 (Course listed under Independent Study section 002)

Reflections on Incarceration and Well-Being (1 credit hour)

IN-PERSON:  Tuesdays from 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Starts January 21, 2025

Course Description:

This discussion-based course focuses on understanding incarceration as a structural determinant of health. Through engaging with written work from incarcerated writers, as well as critical theories and empirical texts, students will explore issues related to how the system of incarceration affects individual, community, and societal health and well-being. Weekly discussions will include topics such as health and mortality data collection and communication, healthcare access and delivery, and conditions of confinement. They also include topics along axes of identity including birthing and parenting, aging inside, and incarceration of transgender individuals. Students will apply their learnings in-class to a final paper.

HEHE Certificate Program Information

1. Enrollment in the Certificate programs permits students to take courses on either campus.