English 290A: Illness and Health in Literature

Central College, Spring 2006

Dr. Josh Dolezal

Office: 100 Geisler Library

Office hours: 9-11 a.m. (MWF)

Campus phone: 628-5109

Home phone: 780-7878

Email: dolezalj@central.edu

“The mind, too, has a kind of blood; in common speech we call it hope.”

                                                    —Willa Cather

Welcome

Literature is a conversation. Writers speak to readers, and in their allusions writers also speak to other writers. Mary Oliver has good advice for both writers and readers. She suggests that those who join the literary conversation ought to imagine themselves as “member[s] of a single, recognizable tribe.” C. S. Lewis says something similar when he suggests that we read to know that we are not alone. The one criterion for joining this tribe of readers and writers is curiosity—the same curiosity that children have when they ask “Why?” of everything they hear. If we bring that kind of hunger to literature, it will give us many gifts of insight into our lives, the lives of others, and the world that surrounds us.

Course Description

“Illness and Health in Literature” is an interdisciplinary course that uses medical history and philosophical analysis of medical culture to shed light on literary works concerned with medical issues. We will discuss literary representations of physicians and how perceptions of physicians have evolved from the nineteenth century to the present time. Additionally, we will explore social and cultural issues related to the profession of medicine, including power dynamics in the doctor-patient relationship, how doctors and patients define health similarly and differently, and the impact of gender on a doctor’s practice of medicine, as well as the patient’s medical experience. To this end, we will read three novels, creative nonfiction written by three physicians, and many additional short stories and essays.

Required Texts (others will be distributed in class)

Camus, Albert. The Plague. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.

Gawande, Atul. Complications. New York: Picador, 2003.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories. New York: Dover Publications, 1997.

Ofri, Danielle. Singular Intimacies. New York: Penguin Books, 2004.

Sandoz, Mari. Miss Morissa. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1980.

Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin Books, 1988.

Williams, William Carlos. The Doctor Stories. New York: New Directions Publishing Co., 1984.

Attendance

Because all absences detract from a discussion-based class, regular attendance is crucial to the success of the course. Some guidelines:

1) Advance notice in the case of absence is essential.

2) Three absences meant to be reserved for emergencies are allowed.

3) The fourth absence (and each subsequent absence) will lower the grade by half a letter.

4) Repeated tardiness may result in a recorded absence.

5) More than six absences (nine class hours) may yield a failing grade.

Due Dates

All work is due at the beginning of class on the specified date. Late work is not acceptable without advance notice. Technological glitches (computer crashes, faulty floppy disks, etc.) should be anticipated, as Murphy’s Law dictates that at the last minute whatever can possibly go wrong will go wrong. It is your responsibility to be prepared.

Written Assignments

Out of class writing must be typed, double spaced, and printed in twelve-point font.

·        Reading journals: I will collect one journal per week. You may choose to write a journal for any of our class discussions in a given week, as long as the journal addresses the reading for that day. Strong opinions and textual evidence are crucial, as journals are meant to prepare for class discussion. Two pages minimum.

·        Exams: As journals are meant to prepare for discussion, both discussion and journals are opportunities to test and refine ideas that will eventually be useful for the exams. Both exams will be take-home; they will resemble scholarly papers, using assigned reading and class notes as sources. As with the journals, I will emphasize the importance of using evidence (quotes or paraphrases) from these sources to demonstrate familiarity with the material.

Service Learning Option

Central College has compiled an extensive network of service-learning sites, which offer opportunities to investigate general and personal care-giving, aging, disability, and physical and emotional rehabilitation, among other meaningful areas of inquiry. Certain sites are eligible for Central’s “x” credit; other sites will provide valuable experience and professional development that will complement many liberal arts majors. Cheri Doane will supervise this process and can clarify details about curricular requirements. Those who choose the service learning option will schedule a minimum of two hours per week with one of the service-learning sites, participate in the usual classes and discussions, and submit a midterm exam. However, in place of the final exam, students may choose one of two cumulative projects: either a thirty-minute presentation or a ten-page research paper. Guidelines for these two options will be available on Blackboard.

Grade Evaluation

Participation:                            20%

Reading journals:                      25%

Midterm exam:                         25%

Final exam:                               30%

Plagiarism and Other Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism and cheating of any form are serious offenses and may result in a failing grade for the assignment, the course, or expulsion from the college. The details of Central College’s Academic Integrity policy are found in the Student Handbook, on the web. A copy will be sent to you via email during the first week of the semester. It is your responsibility to read and understand the contents of that policy before you submit work to be graded. Questions regarding the policies and enforcement of the policies may be addressed to me during class or during office hours.

Disabilities

Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” Disabilities covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing, sight, or mobility impairments, and other health related impairments. If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class for which you may require accommodations, please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director of Student Support Services and Disabilities Services Coordinator (x 5247), during the first two weeks of the semester so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Notification of Participation in College Sanctioned Events

Mock Trial participants, music participants, athletes, and others who must miss a class for participating in a college sanctioned event must notify me in advance and complete work, including exams, in advance of the absence. It is your responsibility to communicate with me in advance regarding absences so that we may adjust our schedules.

Course Calendar

Scientific Medicine Past and Present

Jan. 16             Introduction—syllabus, roster corrections

Jan. 18             Gawande, “Introduction”; “Education of a Knife”

Jan. 20             Lecture: Nineteenth-century medicine in context

                        Longino, “Good Science, Bad Science” (reserve)

Jan. 23             Hawthorne, “The Birthmark” (reserve)

Jan. 25             Hawthorne, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” (reserve)

Jan. 27             Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”; “Mr. Peebles’ Heart”

Jan. 30             Ofri, “Merced”

Feb. 1              Ofri, “M & M”

Feb. 3              Gawande, “When Doctors Make Mistakes”

Feb. 6              Gawande, “Final Cut”

Feb. 8              Gawande, “The Pain Perplex”

Feb. 10            Williams, “Mind and Body”

Spiritual Medicine and the Shaman

Feb. 13            Lecture: Spiritual medicine and the shaman

Feb. 15            Silko, Ceremony (2-54)

Feb. 17            Ceremony (55-106)

Feb. 20            Ceremony (107-152)

Feb. 22            Ceremony (153-178)

Feb. 24            Ceremony (180-223)

Feb. 27            Ceremony (224-262)

March 1           Film: Jacob’s Ladder (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder)

March 3           Jacob’s Ladder

March 6           Finish and discuss Jacob’s Ladder

March 8           Midterm Exams Due

March 10         No class—conferences

March 13-17    Spring Break

Women in Medicine

March 20         Sandoz, Miss Morissa (1-51)

March 22         Miss Morissa (51-96)

March 24         Miss Morissa (96-137)

March 27         Miss Morissa (137-185)

March 29         Miss Morissa (185-211)

March 31         Miss Morissa (212-249)

Power and Intimacy in the Doctor-Patient Relationship

April 3              Tolstoy, “The Death of Ivan Ilych” (reserve)

April 5              Cather, “Neighbor Rosicky” (reserve)

April 7              Ofri, “Drawing Blood”; “AA Battery”

April 10            Williams, “The Use of Force”

April 12            Selzer, “The Exact Location of the Soul”; “The Surgeon as Priest” (reserve)

Philosophy in Medicine

April 14            Lecture: Existentialism and modernism

                        Glasser: “We Are Not Immune” (reserve)

April 17            Camus, The Plague (3-63)

April 19            Community Service Day (no class)

April 21            The Plague (67-121)

April 24            The Plague (121-164)

April 26            The Plague (167-234)

April 28            The Plague (234-308)

May 1              Film: Anatomie 2

May 3              Anatomie 2

May 5              Finish and discuss Anatomie 2

May 6              Final exams due

Note: Syllabus may change.

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