76-322 Global Suffering: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Pain

Units: 9.0 Department: English Cross-listed: 60-361 Related URLs: http://hss.cmu.edu/HTML/departments/engl In medicine, "pain studies" are considered an interdisciplinary field of study; this perspective will serve as our initial model of inquiry. Students will be presented with the main concepts and issues of medical research on pain while being immersed in the challenges of interdisciplinary investigation. We will also focus on the role of arts in medicine, ranging from medical imaging to art therapy, and explore the role of suffering in different religious and philosophical traditions, including Stoicism, Hedonism, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism. Literature also offers a broad spectrum of texts on that examine suffering, from Greek tragedies to contemporary pathographies. In particular, we will highlight the problems of traumatic writing as well as deliberating on the therapeutic possibilities of reading and writing, considering the role of narrative in psychotherapy, or relating writing therapy to art therapy, laugh therapy or play therapy. We will survey the media coverage of such topics as famine, disease, and war, and critically analyze journalistic and film practices, including documentaries, news coverage, and propaganda, while also debating critical issues such as the retraumatization of victims or "compassion fatigue." The course will culminate in an investigation of global suffering and human rights, and interrogate the creative possibilities for the arts in this domain.

Popularity index Rank for this semester: #0 Rank in this department: #0   Students also scheduled 57-417 Major Choral Ensemble 57-163 Eurhythmics III 57-500 Major Studio (Voice) 57-213 Dance (Tap) I 57-211 Dance III 57-183 Solfege III 57-100 Convocation 57-010 Voice Seminar 57-240 Acting I 57-009 Vocal Master Class II

Spring 2005 times

No sections available for semester Spring 2005.