Greetings, Students and Visitors,
My name is Melissa Hudler, and I'm the professor for this particular topic of the English 2300 series of courses taught at Lamar University. I was inspired to create the Literature of Illness and Trauma course by my desire to promote the value of writing and literary study beyond the walls of the classroom and the academic world. Serendipity played a role, as well. For right at the time I began to contemplate this desire and ways to accomplish it, I met Dr. Rex Veeder who introduced me to the Medical Humanities and Narrative Medicine. I was immediately and wholly captivated by the work of this field and its aim to emphasize the roles of storytelling, listening, and empathy in the practice of medicine. While not a medical professional, I find this goal useful to the study of illness- and trauma-themed literary works (of which there is plenty!). Because the experience of bearing witness to others' traumatic situations helps us to further develop our values and ethical perspectives, I knew that this was the way for me to achieve my teaching goal--for students to recognize the value and usefulness of literary study. Because I was no longer (completely) buying into the platitudes I spouted to convince students of the value of studying literature, I needed something to believe in, something to hang my "teaching hat" on, so that my students would value their time and experiences in my literature course and discover something of tangible value and use that remained valuable and useful outside of the literature and the classroom. Finally, I had found the value and usefulness that I was confident students would not only recognize but also embrace and carry with them into their personal and professional lives. And with that, I found new relevance as a literature scholar and teacher.
This professional rejuvenation is continually validated by inspiring student testimonials, some of which are posted to the Student Blog, as well as by my work on the Editorial Board of Survive and Thrive: A Journal for Medical Humanities and Narrative as Medicine.
Students, you can contact me via email at [email protected], our course page in Blackboard, or by phone at 409.880.8525. I'm also keen to continue class discussions on twitter (use #ENGL2300).
Fellow teachers, if you're interested in sharing ideas about Medical Humanities-based literature and writing courses or have questions or comments about my course, please contact me via email ([email protected]), twitter, Profology, or LinkedIn.
I look forward to engaging and enlightening conversations about how we can use our knowledge and skills in the service of physical and emotional wellbeing and students' ethical development and empathic growth.
My name is Melissa Hudler, and I'm the professor for this particular topic of the English 2300 series of courses taught at Lamar University. I was inspired to create the Literature of Illness and Trauma course by my desire to promote the value of writing and literary study beyond the walls of the classroom and the academic world. Serendipity played a role, as well. For right at the time I began to contemplate this desire and ways to accomplish it, I met Dr. Rex Veeder who introduced me to the Medical Humanities and Narrative Medicine. I was immediately and wholly captivated by the work of this field and its aim to emphasize the roles of storytelling, listening, and empathy in the practice of medicine. While not a medical professional, I find this goal useful to the study of illness- and trauma-themed literary works (of which there is plenty!). Because the experience of bearing witness to others' traumatic situations helps us to further develop our values and ethical perspectives, I knew that this was the way for me to achieve my teaching goal--for students to recognize the value and usefulness of literary study. Because I was no longer (completely) buying into the platitudes I spouted to convince students of the value of studying literature, I needed something to believe in, something to hang my "teaching hat" on, so that my students would value their time and experiences in my literature course and discover something of tangible value and use that remained valuable and useful outside of the literature and the classroom. Finally, I had found the value and usefulness that I was confident students would not only recognize but also embrace and carry with them into their personal and professional lives. And with that, I found new relevance as a literature scholar and teacher.
This professional rejuvenation is continually validated by inspiring student testimonials, some of which are posted to the Student Blog, as well as by my work on the Editorial Board of Survive and Thrive: A Journal for Medical Humanities and Narrative as Medicine.
Students, you can contact me via email at [email protected], our course page in Blackboard, or by phone at 409.880.8525. I'm also keen to continue class discussions on twitter (use #ENGL2300).
Fellow teachers, if you're interested in sharing ideas about Medical Humanities-based literature and writing courses or have questions or comments about my course, please contact me via email ([email protected]), twitter, Profology, or LinkedIn.
I look forward to engaging and enlightening conversations about how we can use our knowledge and skills in the service of physical and emotional wellbeing and students' ethical development and empathic growth.
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