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Teaching with comics: a course for fourth-year medical students
1Departments of Humanities and Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, C1743, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA, mjg15@psu.edu.
The Journal of Medical Humanities
|September 10, 2013
Summary
This paper introduces a novel medical school course using graphic narratives (comics) to teach 4th-year students. The curriculum explores critical reading and creative storytelling within the comics medium, enhancing medical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Graphic Narratives
- Arts in Medicine
Background:
- Graphic narratives (comics) are increasingly prevalent in popular culture and education.
- Despite their reach, comics are underrepresented in medical school curricula.
- This paper addresses the gap by detailing a comics and medicine course.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe an innovative course on comics and medicine for final-year medical students.
- To outline the course's rationale, content, format, and teaching methodologies.
- To explore the resonance of comics as a learning medium for medical students.
Main Methods:
- The course involved critical analysis of book-length comics.
- Students engaged in creating their own stories using the comics format.
- Teaching methods focused on active learning and creative expression.
Main Results:
- The course was found to be popular and innovative among 4th-year medical students.
- Students developed skills in critically interpreting and creating graphic narratives.
- The medium proved to be a powerful tool for engaging medical learners.
Conclusions:
- Integrating graphic narratives into medical education offers a unique pedagogical approach.
- Comics can effectively enhance critical thinking and narrative skills in future physicians.
- This innovative course demonstrates the potential of arts-based learning in medicine.
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