Body image and the innocent eye.
1Office of Medical Humanities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Medical Humanities
|May 15, 2013
Summary
This course explores body image in medicine and the arts, integrating humanities to deepen medical students
Area of Science:
- Medical Humanities
- Art History
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- The course "The body image in medicine and the arts" is offered annually at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).
- It caters to medical students and upper-division students, running in a one-month format.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a forum for medical students to discuss the body as a cultural concept.
- To encourage critical thinking about broader cultural interpretations of the human body.
- To enhance awareness of subjective perception in medical practice.
Main Methods:
- Integration of literature, photography, art, anthropology, art history, cultural studies, feminism, modernism, and medicine.
- Interdisciplinary approach to explore past and present body image issues.
- Facilitating personal and metaphorical discussions about the body.
Main Results:
- Students gain a deeper understanding of cultural influences on body image.
- Participants develop a more nuanced perspective on the doctor-patient relationship.
- Increased awareness that perception is not always objective, even for healthcare professionals.
Conclusions:
- The course successfully broadens students' understanding of the human body beyond a purely biological framework.
- It highlights the impact of cultural and artistic perspectives on medical education and practice.
- Faculty believe the enhanced awareness of subjective perception justifies the course's existence.
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