Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Undergraduate Students

Title text reads "You want to..." against a blue and gold background with the following text underneath: Scrutinize health and medicine beyond the biomedical sciences Understand the human condition and human experience of which health, illness, healing, and care form a major part Question how we understand health, illness, and healing Study the relationship between suffering, personhood, care, and our responsibilities to each other Learn how medicine intersects with art and aesthetic expression, creativity, and the imagination Learn from an interdisciplinary and diverse host of prominent experts in their fields
Title text reads "What is Medical Humanities?" against a blue and gold background with the following text underneath: Medical Humanities adds new dimensions to your understanding of medicine. It draws from fields such as history, literature, art, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, cultural and gender studies to explore how cultural, social, and ethical factors shape our experience of health and illness. It goes beyond the technical to understand the human experiences of health, illness, and care. It gives you a toolkit to ask tough questions and to look at healthcare with a critical eye, to address root causes and advocate for a fair and more just system. Instead of lectures and textbooks, you'll find yourself reading novels that explore illness, dissecting ethical dilemmas, exploring archives as you do original historical research, watching films and listening to podcasts that bring medical stories to life, analyzing portrayals of health in art. You'll work with faculty who are scholars, creatives, and practitioners. Medical Humanities will broaden your perspective and equip you with critical perspective and the skills to shape the future of healthcare.
Title text reads "Who might benefit from Medical Humanities:" against a blue and gold background with the following text underneath: The medical humanities minor is open without application to students across the College of Arts and Sciences, SFS, SOH, SON, and MSB. The interdisciplinary nature of the medical humanities makes it a great fit for a wide variety of students, including but not limited to those studying... any major in the soh and son any language african american studies american studies anthropology art and art history biochemistry biological physics any biology major chemistry comparative literature culture and politics english global medieval studies government history justice and peace studies philosophy psychology stia sociology theater and performance theology women's and gender studies
Title text reads "The minor is designed for flexibility and achievement." against a blue and gold background with the following text underneath: the medical humanities minor requires only 2 core courses and 4 electives for a total of 18 credits many electives are cross-listed with other departments in the college of arts and sciences in your last year, embark on a semester-long individual project in our senior capstone in medical humanities course

The interdisciplinary minor in Medical Humanities, Culture, and Society requires six total courses: two core courses (MHUM-101: Introduction to Medical Humanities and MHUM-401: Senior Capstone Seminar in Medical Humanities) and four electives (view a representative sample in the course offerings section above).

There is no particular order required for you to take your courses, except for the MHUM-401: Senior Capstone Seminar in Medical Humanities, that you should take after MHUM-101: Introduction to Medical Humanities.

All of the core courses required for the minor are 3-credit courses, but up to 3 credits can be fulfilled by 1-credit elective courses.

Yes! You can email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu to let us know if an elective that appears in the course offerings section is missing the “Medical Humanities” tag so we can make sure the Registrar adds it and you get the credit for the minor.

Email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu with the class information, why you believe it should be counted as a Medical Humanities elective, and the syllabus. We will review this information and contact the professor if we believe the class should have the “Medical Humanities” tag.

The minor is open without application to students across the College of Arts and Sciences, SFS, SOH, SON, and MSB. It will also be open (with instructor permission) to graduate and medical student auditors.

Of course! You can email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu with your questions or you can schedule an appointment with the Director Lakshmi Krishnan.

You should be able to undeclare from this or any other minor if not able to satisfy all the requirements, though we encourage you to reach out to us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu if you have concerns about the requirements, so we can help you plan the best way to fulfill them.

Our Research Fellowships support Mentored Individual or Collaborative research projects, which may (though are not restricted to) be mentored by our Core or Affiliate Faculty. Reach out to faculty members to discuss with them opportunities for mentorship or research assistance. Employment opportunities can also be found through the Student Employment Office (SEO).

Yes, the Medical Humanities courses are open with instructor permission to student auditors. Although Georgetown is currently committed to in-person classes, some of the courses may be offered in a virtual or hybrid format. You can find that information through MyAccess, or you can email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu to learn more.

Yes! The class will still count if taken over the summer. Email medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu with any further questions about this.

Email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu with the class information, why you believe it should be counted as a Medical Humanities elective, and the syllabus. We will review this information and contact the professor of record for confirmation.

Graduate and Medical Students

You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates and information regarding the Initiative.

The Medical Humanities Initiative supports graduate student Independent Scholarly Projects through our Research Fellowships, which welcome applications from undergraduate, graduate/professional students from the Main and Medical campuses once every academic year.

Graduate students can also join the Medical Humanities courses as student auditors (with instructor permission), apply to employment opportunities through the Student Employment Office (SEO), and attend the events we sponsor.

Our Research Fellowships support Mentored Individual or Collaborative research projects, which may (though are not restricted to) be mentored by our Core or Affiliate Faculty. Reach out to faculty members to discuss with them opportunities for mentorship or research assistance. Employment opportunities can also be found through the Student Employment Office (SEO).

Yes, the Medical Humanities courses are open with instructor permission to student auditors. Although Georgetown is currently committed to in-person classes, some of the courses may be offered in a virtual or hybrid format. You can find that information through MyAccess, or you can email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu to learn more.

General Public

Our newsletter includes all our latest updates, including past and upcoming events, faculty updates, opportunities to become more involved, and more. Signing up to join our mailing list would be a great first step to become more involved with our Initiative! Additionally, you can follow our social media (Instagram and X: @gumedhum) to stay updated.

Email us at medicalhumanities@georgetown.edu with any questions about working with our program!