How the course works

Each week we explore a theme related to the life course through the lens of the medical humanities. Our aim is to understand how different perspectives - from the arts, social sciences and biological sciences - can contribute to an understanding of humanising healthcare in clinical settings.

We invite guest speakers to speak around these themes from their own perspectives as artists, social scientists and doctors; and encourage you to share your own thoughts with us and your fellow learners. To help the conversation along, we offer questions for discussion, quizzes for you to recap the key concepts and mini assignments which will be reviewed by other learners taking the course.

We strongly encourage you to engage with the interactive components of the course which give you an opportunity to reflect on some of your own beliefs as well as engage with the other learners.

At the end of each week, we provide a reading list which is completely optional - so feel free to read the resources that interest you the most.

You’ll meet the following individuals during this course. Through discussions we facilitate, they will share their own perspective around one particular topic.

Professor Johan Brink	Cardiothoracic surgeon and director of clinical services in the Chris Barnard division of cardiothoracic surgery, UCT
Dr Peter Anderson	Poet and senior lecturer of English literature, UCT
Mr Stan Henkeman	Heart transplant recipient and head of the Building an Inclusive Society Programme, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (an NGO)
Dr Marc Hendricks	Paediatric oncologist and musician, UCT
Dr Kate Abney	Medical anthropologist, UCT
Ms Nina Callaghan	Assistant director, Children’s Radio Foundation
Professor Elelwani Ramugondo	Occupational therapist, UCT
Professor Mark Solms	Professor of neuropsychology, UCT
Ms Malika Ndlovu	Applied artist, Art on Site
Professor Alireza Baghai-Wadji	Engineer interested in design thinking and metacognition, UCT
Dr Francois Bonnici	Medical doctor and adjunct professor at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship, UCT Graduate School of Business
Professor Silke Dyer	Gynaecologist and fertility specialist, UCT
Dr Sean Baumann	Psychiatrist
Dr Finuala Dowling	South African poet and author
Professor Deborah Posel	Sociologist and director of Institute for Humanities in Africa, UCT
Ms Kathryn Smith	Artist, Liverpool John Moores University and Stellenbosch University
Professor Lorna Martin	Pathologist and head of Division of Forensic Medicine, UCT