Health Humanities B.S.

The Health Humanities curriculum consists of 36–42 credits completed in the following areas.

Core Health Humanities (6 Credits)

HUM-101Introduction to Health Humanites3
HUM-102Cultural Studies in Healthcare3
Total Credits6

Health Humanities Internship (3–9 Credits)

HUM-410Health Humanities Capstone3-9

Breadth in Health Humanities (21 Credits)

Students must take a minimum of 1 course from each of the breadth clusters for a total of 9 credits. The other 4 breadth cluster classes (12 credits) are determined in consulatation with their advisor.

Ethics, Health, and the Human Spirit

This cluster emphasizes ethical reasoning, the ethical impact of health policy, and spiritual dimensions of human well-being.

PHI-103Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives3
or RS-103 Ethics: Religious and Philosophical Perspectives
PHI-210Freedom, Death, and Meaning3
PHI-211Technology and Society3
RS-214Challenges of Death3
PHI-312Bioethics Seminar3
or RS-312 Bioethics Seminar
RS-369Psychology of Religion and Spirituality3

Health and the Arts

This cluster emphasizes artistic representations of the human body, health/illness, artistic engagement with environments, and related experiences.

ENG-210Science Fiction3
HUM-201Narrative Medicine3
ENG-237Introduction to Literary Criticism3
ENG-311Themes in American Literature3
IMA-231Writing the Anthropocene3
IMA-306Screening Consciousness And Mind in the Movies3
BIO-123Art and Anatomy3

Society, Health, and Behavior

This cluster emphasizes the historical and political dimensions that can impact health and individual well-being as well as behavioral determinants of health, with emphasis on issues of diversity and equity.

ENG-218Minority Voices in American Literature3
HIS-336American Environmental History3
HUM-301Topics in Healthcare History3
IMA-236Writing for Social Justice3
PSC-342Social & Political Philosophy3

Health Humanities Electives (6 credits)

The Health Humanities electives (6 credits) can be drawn from either the breadth clusters or from the following courses identified as Critical Health Studies. This category includes courses outside of the humanities disciplines, including credits in social sciences, healthcare administration and public health, and other health professions. Students are encouraged in the Critical Health Studies category to broaden their studies further and to include a wider representation of coursework from other disciplines of the sciences and professions. Prior coursework in a health professions major and interdisciplinary TOPICS of Inquiry Courses may apply at the discretion of the program director. Examples of current course choices include, but are not limited to:

Any course from HAPH3
SOC-400Social Epidemiology3
SOC-313Health Disparities3
DTC-210Food and Culture2
NUR-110Population Based Nursing3
PSY-102History of Psychology3
PSY-201Statistics in Behavioral Sciences3
PSY-208Personality3
Any Critical Inquiry Topics Course (189 & 189L) such as RS/NUR 189 & 189L Dying Well, HIS/BIO 189 & 189L Black Death, and PH189 & 189L Breasts: Objects or Biology4

Admission Requirements

D'Youville selects students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. Applications will be assessed holistically. Applicants are encouraged to apply for admission into the major based on a love of the subject matter and a desire to learn. Space in the program may be limited. If an applicant cannot be admitted into a program due to space constraints, the applicant will be placed on a waiting list for entry and duly notified.

Freshman Admission

Freshman applicants to this major must submit high school transcripts. Applicants may also submit any of the following optional materials:

  1. Statement of intent (strongly encouraged)
  2. High School average of 80

Transfer Admission

Transfer students must submit high school transcripts and any/all other transcripts from institutions previously attended. Transfer applicants may also submit any of the following optional materials:

  1. Statement of intent (strongly encouraged)
  2. Transfer GPA of 2.0