Faculty Course: Literature and medicine 7.5 credits

About the course

Do poets make better doctors? Is literature healthy? Should literary characters be diagnosed? This course explores the relationship of literature and medicine and questions such as these by reading and discussing a range of literary and theoretical texts.

In "On Being Ill," Virginia Woolf wrote that "English, which can express the thoughts of Hamlet and the tragedy of Lear, has no words for the shiver and the headache. . . . let a sufferer try to describe a pain in his head to a doctor and language at once runs dry." Yet illness narratives are now an established literary genre. Furthermore, some argue that knowledge of literature and narrative help doctors understand their patients and their symptoms better. This course will explore a range of issues involved in the intersection of literature and medicine. We will look at, for example, the use of literature in the study and practice of medicine and medical treatment, what is at stake in diagnosing literary characters, and the kinds of literary forms illness has shaped.

The medium of instruction is English.

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Spring 2027
- Faculty Course: Literature and medicine
  
  Second admissions round for EU/EEA citizens
  
  VT27 / Varied / English / Web-based (online)
  
  Application opens 15 September 2026
  
  Save education at universityadmissions.se
  
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  Starts
  18 January 2027
  
  Ends
  24 March 2027
  
  Number of credits
  7.5 credits
  
  Type of studies
  Web-based (online)
  
  Mandatory meetings
  No mandatory meetings
  
  Other meetings
  None
  
  Study pace
  50%
  
  Teaching hours
  Mixed
  
  Study location
  Varied
  
  Language
  English
  
  Application code
  UMU-1401M
  Outline for distance course
  
  All communication is via the course learning platform. Access to a computer with broadband internet connection is required for participating in and completing the course tasks.
  
  Eligibility
  
  one of the following alternatives:
  
  Bachelor's degree (180 credits)
  
  90 university credits, of which at least 7,5 credits must come from an independent project, or equivalent qualifications
  
  Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English 6/level 2
  
  Selection
  
  Academic credits awarded by application deadline (HPAV 30-285 ECTS)
  Application
  The online application opens 15 September 2026 at 09:00 CET. Application deadline is 15 October 2026. Please note: This second application round is intended only for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.
  Application and tuition fees
  As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
  
  Application fee: SEK 900
  
  Tuition fee, first instalment: SEK 12,075
  
  Total fee: SEK 12,075
  
  Details about tuition, fees and funding

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