Guest Participants in "Medical Humanities and Jewish Studies" (JUDAIC 318/517)

Guest Participants in "Medical Humanities and Jewish Studies" (JUDAIC 318/517)

Grant:
Instructional Development Fund (IDF)
Academic Year:
2013 - 2014 (June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2014)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
ansiegel
Overview of the Project:
For my new workshop course, Medical Humanities and Judaic Studies (JUDAIC 318/517), I am bringing in a variety of people who are involved in healthcare to sit side-by-side with students and participate in class discussion. By bringing guests into selected class meetings, I am offering students the opportunity to discuss texts with those who can offer real-world perspectives on what it is to witness/experience suffering, make complex end-of-life decisions, and nurture clinician-patient relations. Moreover, as many of the guests are extraordinarily accomplished healthcare professionals, they model an appreciation of the Humanities for students.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

I desire to expose students who are planning careers in healthcare (or who are interested in caregiving) to the relevance of the humanities, through the eyes of real-world clinicians and patients. The humanities are usually omitted or downplayed in health-oriented curricula, but the presence of clinicians and patients as informal classroom interlocutors when studying texts highlights key skills needed for successful care. My own field of Judaic Studies particularly allows for students to encounter texts that span thousands of years and are geographically diverse.

Project Achievements:

This was the first time I taught the course, and the first time I used this teaching model. Feedback was positive from the students during a CRLT review. For instance, one student wrote, "Having people talk about what they are passionate about gives me hope, and this class always provided that. The guests seemed genuinely interested in the readings and discussions, which made participation worthwhile." Another wrote, "This course brought a human perspective to medicine, which I had yet to be exposed to. I think this type of course should be required in the pre-med curriculum!"

Continuation:
I will continue to refine the model and use it again when I offer the course in the future. Based on student feedback, I will ask guests to prepare case studies that connect in some way to the texts. I will also consider offering the course as a once-per-week format, so that students have longer exposure time with individual guests. If there is a way to build in some sort of brief shadowing experience with guests onsite at UMHS, I am interested in exploring that, as well.
Dissemination:
I am participating in the University of Michigan Health System's Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Medicine for the 2013-2014 academic year. I am presenting on this course to colleagues there and look forward to continuing to network with them thereafter. Moreover, after I teach the course for a second time I am hoping to publish an article based on this pedagogy. In the long run, I would like to work with colleagues in other departments to consider using this model.
Advice to your Colleagues:
I received much administrative support from the Judaic Studies Program (Stacy Eckert in particular). Stacy had to put in many hours to research how exactly to provide $25 gift cards to guests. I didn't realize when I put in the CRLT grant request that in fact providing such gift cards would be a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare. Stacy handled it graciously, but I would just encourage future applicants to check with staff prior to submitting the grant; look into the institutional rules (for instance, around gift cards), and make sure you are not burdening staff to execute your project. I also wish that I had done the CRLT feedback session at the real midpoint of the course, rather than waiting until almost the end of the course. Having the CRLT grant, though, was such a joy and I heartily thank CRLT for offering it.
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