Body, Mind and Medicine: A Dissection

Subject UNIB20013 (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 2 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

Semester 1, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable


Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 2 hrs lecture, 1 hr tutorial each week
Total Time Commitment: An average of 9 hours each week.
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: Knowledge gained in 800-175 An Ecological History of Humanity is recommended.
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website : http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr James Bradley

Contact

Dr James Bradley

jbradley@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview: This interdisciplinary subject will explore three different ways of knowing the body and mind in sickness and in health, and how those ways of knowing translate into ways of doing. Starting from the perspective of the present day, the biomedical, bio-psychosocial and plural models will be explored through a dialogue between the past and the present, the historian, the scientist and the practitioner. It will provide a broad survey of the history of medicine from Ancient Greece to the post-industrial present, as well as a grounded knowledge of contemporary medical culture and organisation. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the spaces and places of medical practice: the institutions and organisation where sick bodies and unsound minds have been treated. From the home to the hospital, from the asylum to the courtroom, from the operating theatre to the birthing room, this subject will explore historical and contemporary medicine from the perspective of the professionals and the patients who have inhabited these places. It will also immerse students in the materiality of medicine through the use of the university's collections in the Harry Brookes Allen Anatomy and Pathology Museum and the Medical History Museum, as well the world-class collections of historical patient records that are publicly accessible in Melbourne.
Objectives: Students who complete this subject will possess:
  • The ability to contextualise different ways of knowing the body and mind in sickness and health across the disciplines of Medicine and Surgery (esp. Anatomy, Psychiatry), Historical Studies, History and Philosophy of Science and the Social Sciences
  • The ability to form an opinion about critical issues relating to treating bodies and minds in sickness and in health
  • The critical tools necessary for undertaking lifelong learning and leadership within the community, including professional service in medicine, the law and domains
Assessment: An interdisciplinary collaborative tutorial exercise, a total of 1000 words (20%), a review essay of 1500 words due during the examination period (35%). an exam of 90 minutes during the exam period (35%), and class participation (10%).
Prescribed Texts: The subject coordinator will provide a list of readings at the start of semester.
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • Critical thinking and enhanced literacy across a range of disciplines
  • Encourage the development of ability to synthesise a wide range of materials
  • Collaborative learning and constructive team membership through tutorial classes and the assessment procedures
  • Effective use of information technology for the gathering and assessment of a wide variety of inter-disciplinary materials
  • Effective use of the library and research support services
  • Development of written and verbal communication
Links to further information: http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/breadth/info/index.html

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