CLASSIC 48
Ancient Greek and Roman Medicine
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to Greek and Roman medicine in its intellectual and cultural context. Examination of construction of concepts such as health, disease, physician, man, woman, cause, and difference. Readings from Greek literature and healing in cult of Asclepius. Readings of texts from Hippocratic collection, thought to be close to practice and theory of 5th-century BCE Greek physician, relating them to medical practice, competition for students and patients, intellectual display, developing scientific methods, ethnography, and Greek philosophy. Discussion of plagues as attempts to view such outbreaks as social phenomena. Examination of how Hippocratic understanding of how--or whether--we can know about what happens inside body was developed and challenged in 3rd-century BCE Alexandria. Study of Prince of Physicians, Galen, champion of Hippocratic medicine, influential into 18th century. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - This class was my fun class, and I definitely had fun taking it. The lectures are interesting, but you have to make sure you are paying attention, if not you will get bored since the what the lecture is about will be out of context. The lecture slides are full of text, so they might not look particularly appealing, but if you have any interest in medicine, the philosophy of medical education, or history, you should definitely take this class. The professor was always grateful for those of us that did show up, since fewer people show over time. I liked the professor and the class very much. Class is made up of four writing assignments. One midterm and final, which are each two short writings responding to prompts. Essay 1 and 2 (separate assignments) are individually one essay regarding the readings from the past few weeks. Make sure to attend lecture, discussion, and do the readings (at least skim them) and you should do well enough.
Spring 2025 - This class was my fun class, and I definitely had fun taking it. The lectures are interesting, but you have to make sure you are paying attention, if not you will get bored since the what the lecture is about will be out of context. The lecture slides are full of text, so they might not look particularly appealing, but if you have any interest in medicine, the philosophy of medical education, or history, you should definitely take this class. The professor was always grateful for those of us that did show up, since fewer people show over time. I liked the professor and the class very much. Class is made up of four writing assignments. One midterm and final, which are each two short writings responding to prompts. Essay 1 and 2 (separate assignments) are individually one essay regarding the readings from the past few weeks. Make sure to attend lecture, discussion, and do the readings (at least skim them) and you should do well enough.
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