CLCS 3720 - Empathy, Medicine, and the Human Condition

In this course we read literature from a variety of cultures in order to explore the value of empathy, particularly as it intersects with questions of medicine, healing, and what makes us different - and the same - as human beings. Many of the texts will treat issues of intercultural encounters revolving around questions of healing. Through the close reading and contemplation of stories, novels, memoirs, and case studies from different cultural and historical background, we will ask questions about what it means to listen to the stories of others who seem different from ourselves, about the possibility of ethical choices in the face of challenging forces, and about how to become attentive to the suffering of others and to our common humanity. In addition, the class will include hands-on exercises ("integrated contemplative pedagogy") intended to expand our skills in empathy and deep listening.