Syllabus - 50:169 Doctors in Film

Instructor

Susan Lawrence, Ph.D.,
Department of History, SH 306 (353-2308)
Program in Biomedical Ethics and Medical Humanities, 1-108 MEB (353-4681)
email: susan-lawrence@uiowa.edu

Time and Place

• Mondays, 6:00-8:30 pm , January 23 through April 24, 2006
• We will not meet on February 6 or March 13th
• BSB Watske Auditorium (Aud 3)

Course Description and Goals

The physician has been a heroic figure in American film from its earliest days. We will examine some of these portrayals over the past seventy-five years, giving particular attention to what popular films can tell us about the cultural images of physicians and medicine in American society. Particular goals for the course include the consideration of how

• films express both cultural ideals and cultural anxieties about medicine within the constraints of "literary" genres: drama, horror, comedy, romance, tragedy and thriller.
• popular understanding of medicine, health, and healing as portrayed in film corresponds to actual practices of medicine and medical research at the times the films were made.
• movies might shape, as well as reflect, assumptions about physicians' values and social authority.
• in addition to the deliberate choices of plot-lines, locations and character development, films reveal a great deal about what was taken for granted at the time of each film's production: gender and race relations, physicians' paternalism and patients' autonomy, medical technology and expectations for care and cure; ethical and professional norms for medical research and decision making in patient care

Course Format

Each film screening will be prefaced by short introduction and followed by a discussion. People who have attended the film but who have not registered for the course may participate in the discussion if size permits, but students registered for the course will be expected to be the main participants in discussion.

Course Requirements

Students will be graded as Pass or Fail. Students must pass in all areas to pass the course.

• Attendance. Attendance at ten of the twelve films is required. Students will fail if they have more than two unexcused absences (i.e., attend fewer than eight films).
• Reading/preparation. Information about film history, timelines and some other short supplemental materials will be posted on the course website. Students are expected to review this material as preparation for seeing the film each week. See the list of Assignments and Film Notes for details.
• Participation. I expect that discussion will reveal the historical, substantive, and cultural complexity of the films. A rich variety of student response to the films is essential to discovering the films' nuances as well as main points, and students are expected to contribute to this exploration.
• Writing. Students may choose from one of the following options for the writing component of the course:
  • Three 2-page response/reaction papers to individual films. These are due the week after the film. A response/reaction paper allows the student to develop her or his thoughts about specific aspects or themes of a film, such as how the movie depicts physicians' values and behavior; the senses in which the doctor is "hero" (or anti-hero?); insights into historical contexts of medical practice or institutions; or any other thoughtful topic.
  • OR a final 5-6 page paper in which a theme of the course is explored by contrasts and comparisons across more than one of the films viewed. A separate handout for this assignment will be provided in class. The final paper will be due May 1, to 1-108 MEB.

Course policies and procedures

• To document attendance, please sign the attendance sheet at the start of each session.
• Turn off cell phones or put your phone on silent alert during the movies please.
• All students and faculty are urged to support the highest standards of personal and academic conduct. Such standards encourage the frank discussion of contentious matters in ways that maintain respect for differences without stifling the free expression of academic inquiry. Scrupulous honesty in the documentation of the sources for information and ideas is expected at all times. Evidence of plagiarism in the written assignments for the course will result in an "F" in the class.

Office hours

• 306 SH, Thursdays, 10:30-12:00
• 1-108 MEB, Tuesdays, 2-3
• If these times are not convenient, please contact me for an appointment. Email: susan-lawrence@uiowa.edu

Students with disabilities

I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require some modification of seating, testing or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me before or after class, during office hours or make an appointment. Please bring your Student Academic Accomodation Request form with you.

Resources

Additional information about the films, reading assignments, suggestions for additional reading and resources for completing the paper assignments are posted on this website under "Resources."