Medicine and the Body (L4121)

15 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

This module critically engages with the conceptualisation and treatment of the body in medicine, and the ways in which those shape and are shaped by the broader politics of the body in the contemporary world. It draws on concepts from sociological, feminist, queer, postcolonial and posthuman theories, as well as nursing and bioethics.

You’ll engage with debates around, for example:

• the surveillance and commodification of bodies and body parts
• the social impact of biomedical innovations such as organ transplantation, surgical interventions and enhancement
• blame and responsibility for health states
• approaches to treatment of mental health and disability
• the diseased, distressed and dying body.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2025/26. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.