ENGL 244 - Health, Care, and Compassion on Stage and Screen

FDR: HL Literature Distribution
Credits: 3

Prerequisite: completion of FDR:FW requirement. This course will analyze the dramatic portrayal of health and illness in drama, film, and television. We will think about the depiction of the body-mind on stage and screen, across various time periods. Can the core emotions of pity and fear, which Aristotle argues are vital to the work of drama, help us develop greater empathy for those who are suffering from illness? Can dramatic depictions of both wellness and illness catalyze us to think about how to better care for ourselves and others? Using the WHO’s definition of health as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity,” we will think not only about how works of art dramatize these concepts, but also what they mean in our own lives and in the lives of those in our community. Students will have their choice of an experiential learning component, either through a community-based learning volunteer placement or through researching and designing a wellness or self-care initiative for peers.