When registering for classes prior to this Spring semester, I was presented with a list of classes to choose from. My advisor told me about a new class Lamar University was offering called "Medical Humanities: Literature of Illness and Trauma". He gave me a little information over the class content and said this would be the first semester it has been offered. So, I decided it seemed like something I would be interested in and signed up to take the class. I am extremely glad that I made the decision to enroll in the course.
Being that it is a new course and there was very little information about it, I was not sure what to expect going into this class. Over the first few class meetings, we discussed an overview of the course and its content. Professor Hudler, aware of the fact that we had such a small class, adjusted the course to better fit a smaller group, which I thoroughly believe enhanced all our learning experiences over the course of the semester. With such a small group, we were able to have more group discussions and really spend more time on each piece of literature we read. I feel like I learned much more in being able to work together more closely with the other students in the class and also with the Professor rather than the traditional 30 student classroom.
When we were presented with the titles of the literature we would be reading, I was surprised when I realized I had not read most of these before. Being that I am an English major, I have taken many English Literature courses and have read various literature works. However, there was a particular piece that I have read more than once. One of the earlier stories we discussed was Charlotte Gilman Perkins' "The Yellow Wallpaper." I have read this before in high school and also a few semesters ago when I took a course over Feminism in Women's Literature. Being able to dissect this story again in a totally different light was very interesting to me.
Being that it is a new course and there was very little information about it, I was not sure what to expect going into this class. Over the first few class meetings, we discussed an overview of the course and its content. Professor Hudler, aware of the fact that we had such a small class, adjusted the course to better fit a smaller group, which I thoroughly believe enhanced all our learning experiences over the course of the semester. With such a small group, we were able to have more group discussions and really spend more time on each piece of literature we read. I feel like I learned much more in being able to work together more closely with the other students in the class and also with the Professor rather than the traditional 30 student classroom.
When we were presented with the titles of the literature we would be reading, I was surprised when I realized I had not read most of these before. Being that I am an English major, I have taken many English Literature courses and have read various literature works. However, there was a particular piece that I have read more than once. One of the earlier stories we discussed was Charlotte Gilman Perkins' "The Yellow Wallpaper." I have read this before in high school and also a few semesters ago when I took a course over Feminism in Women's Literature. Being able to dissect this story again in a totally different light was very interesting to me.
I had never given much thought to the trauma side of this story before this class, so that connection, as well as the feminist side of Perkins' story, helped me to have a much deeper understanding of this particular piece of literature and what the author was actually struggling with in her own life. We discussed how authors like Perkins were able to tell their personal struggles with whatever illness they were suffering with through their works. Another such author was Shirley Jackson, who suffered from depression. We read her famous short story "The Lottery," which mirrored much of her other works. It was dark in tone and is said to be written about her own small town in which she lived and how she viewed society.
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the content. Being able to look at these works of literature from a different perspective than anything we have ever done before truly helps students have a better appreciation for the writings and also the authors. I feel like I have a better understanding of the personal struggles of the authors we read from and a much deeper understanding of the themes of the literature itself. This class is not just for English majors. I definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in gaining a degree in English, teaching, any medical field, or any degree in sociology or psychology. I feel it would help any of these students deepen their understanding of not just literature, but also important aspects of empathy, trauma, personal struggles, and listening to someone who suffers from an illness or trauma.
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the content. Being able to look at these works of literature from a different perspective than anything we have ever done before truly helps students have a better appreciation for the writings and also the authors. I feel like I have a better understanding of the personal struggles of the authors we read from and a much deeper understanding of the themes of the literature itself. This class is not just for English majors. I definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in gaining a degree in English, teaching, any medical field, or any degree in sociology or psychology. I feel it would help any of these students deepen their understanding of not just literature, but also important aspects of empathy, trauma, personal struggles, and listening to someone who suffers from an illness or trauma.