Undergraduate Course: History of Western Medicine (STIS08009)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | ***THIS IS A REPLACEMENT COURSE FOR STIS08001 HISTORY OF MEDICINE 1 - STUDENTS MAY NOT ENROL ON BOTH COURSES***
A general introduction to the history of medicine in Western society from the Ancient Greeks to the present. It will examine some of the different ways that doctors have thought about health and illness over the past two and a half thousand years and will raise general questions about the historical origins of modern scientific medicine. The course will introduce the changing role of experts in society, historical shifts in concepts of the body and of disease, and the changing understanding and impact of epidemics from antiquity to the present day. |
| Course description |
History of Western Medicine is a free-standing, 20-credit, level 1 half course run by the Science, Technology and Innovation Studies subject group of the School of Social and Political Sciences. It is available to all students. History of Western Medicine does not presume any prior knowledge, either of history or of medicine. In the course, we will cover the changing role of medical practitioners and patients, will look at historically shifting concepts of the body and of disease and we will consider the impact of epidemics at different times. Towards the end, a series of thematic lectures will focus in particular on the extent and limits of scientific thinking, and on the relationship between scientific research and public policy in past and present medicine. Special attention will be paid to diagnostic and therapeutic practices associated with different systems of medical knowledge and how they were adapted to the particular social and historical environments in which they developed.
Indicative content:
TOPIC 1: ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN MEDICINE
TOPIC 2: MEDIEVAL TO RENAISSANCE MEDICINE
TOPIC 3:FROM THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION TO EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY MEDICINE
TOPIC 4: NINETEENTH-CENTURY MEDICINE: SCIENCE, PRACTICE AND PROFESSIONALISATION
TOPIC 5: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MASS MEDICINE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
TOPIC 6: THE POLITICS OF MODERN MEDICINE
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
History of Medicine 1 (STIS08001)
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Other requirements | THIS IS A REPLACEMENT COURSE FOR STIS08001 HISTORY OF MEDICINE 1 - STUDENTS MAY NOT ENROL ON BOTH COURSES |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 300 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessed by
- two online multiple-choice exams, one approx. midway through and one at the end of the course (each worth 20% of the overall mark);
- a short, 500 words summary of an article/chapter midway through the course (worth 10% of the overall mark)
-a 2,000-word essay that MUST be passed (worth 50% of the overall mark)
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| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback for the short mid-term written assignment and for the assessed essay completed at the end of the course. They will not receive feedback on the multiple choice exams. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the main stages in the changing nature and social organisation of Western health care and healing practices, from the Ancient Greeks to the present day
- Discuss the dominant ideas about health and illness, their causes and treatment, and the changing views of the body and of society that have prevailed in Western medicine in different historical periods
- Discuss how ideas about health and illness and the organisation of health care relate to the wider social and cultural context in which they are articulated
- Critically evaluate the use of historical evidence in historical argument, and exercise basic skills in the use of secondary historical literature
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge of key developments, issues and concepts in history of medicine.
Critical thinking and analytical skills.
Effective written and communication skills. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Lukas Engelmann
Tel: (0131 6)50 6367
Email: Lukas.Engelmann@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms April Workman
Tel: (0131 6)51 5197
Email: v1aworkm@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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