When we think of modern medicine, we often imagine a world driven by cutting-edge science. We picture laboratories and hospitals, places where medical researchers, biotech experts, and doctors collaborate to find the causes of and cure disease. What we think about less often is the human side of the healing arts: the way medical care systems are living, evolving practices grounded in specific cultural, religious, historical, and social contexts. If you are interested in pursuing a career in medicine or biotechnology, or have ever just wondered about the fascinating history behind Western healing practices, this course is for you.
PROGRAM DATES
June 15 – July 12, 2025
PREREQUISITES
None
COURSE DRESS CODE
None
DAILY SCHEDULE & ACTIVITIES
MONDAY – FRIDAY
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Classes in session
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Classes in session
COURSE OVERVIEW
Highlights
- Sharpen your critical thinking skills
- Think creatively or “outside the box” about healing as an interdisciplinary endeavor
- Be exposed to a wide range of styles and genres for writing about science and medicine
- Opportunity to articulate your own passion and commitment to a career in healing
- Get an inside view of “translational medicine” in action via site visits and guest lectures from faculty at the USC Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering
Topic of Study
- History of Western medicine’s evolution into a branch of modern science
- How medical knowledge and practice became “professionalized”
- Influence of philosophical ideas about the human body and its relationship to the environment across time
- Rise of “translational medicine,” which views healing as a collaboration between fields like engineering, computing and the physical sciences