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Our year-long project will explore the practice of medicine as an expression of cultural beliefs and value systems that differ widely across cultures and that have evolved in particular ways in particular cultural contexts over the course of history. The goal of the project is to enable faculty from the departments of allied health, and consequently their students, to become more thoughtful, culturally competent, and ethically aware practitioners by better understanding variables of philosophy, values, and culture that underlie medical practice in different societies. The seminar will be organized around five themes: Introduction to the Tools of the Humanities; Systems of Medical Knowledge (East and West); Portrayals of Illness in World Art; Cultural Interpretations of Addiction; and Religious, Ethical, and Legal Meanings of Death across Cultures. These themes were chosen for their broad relevance to allied health practitioners in the culturally diverse contexts in which they work.

Our year-long project will explore the practice of medicine as an expression of cultural beliefs and value systems that differ widely across cultures and that have evolved in particular ways in particular cultural contexts over the course of history. The goal of the project is to enable faculty from the departments of allied health, and consequently their students, to become more thoughtful, culturally competent, and ethically aware practitioners by better understanding variables of philosophy, values, and culture that underlie medical practice in different societies. The seminar will be organized around five themes: Introduction to the Tools of the Humanities; Systems of Medical Knowledge (East and West); Portrayals of Illness in World Art; Cultural Interpretations of Addiction; and Religious, Ethical, and Legal Meanings of Death across Cultures. These themes were chosen for their broad relevance to allied health practitioners in the culturally diverse contexts in which they work.