WRIT1935W: Writing Medicine

Medicine, as a field, is most often considered an expert, scientific enterprise. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has acutely demonstrated, communication plays an integral role in how the public and experts alike understand and engage with medicine, medical research and recommendations, pharmaceuticals, diseases, and more. This seminar explores the relationship between language and medicine through a range of books, essays, podcasts, videos, infographics, and other forms of writing and communication. By examining popular and technical writing, we will study the diverse factors that impact medicine and how we communicate about it, including politics, clinical trials, racism, emotions, empathy, biomedical technology, social media, popular culture, and ethics. In addition to studying the relationships between medicine and language, we will also practice writing for a variety of audiences and on a range of topics.

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