English 3154: Literature, Medicine, and Culture
Spring 2008 CRN 12667
MWF 11:15-12:05, Derring 1090
Professor Bernice Hausman

Paper #3

Description from the syllabus: The final paper of this class can be either (1) a cultural or rhetorical analysis of a medical practice, tradition, document (such as public health pamphlets or public service announcements) or disease or (2) an analysis of a literary work dealing with a medical or health-related topic. Students must hand in at least one prior draft of the paper, including editing marks and evidence of revision, with the final copy. 4-6 pps.

In both cases (i.e., regardless of whether you choose option 1 or 2), you will be using the analytic skills developed in this class in order to understand what you are analyzing. If you choose option 2, you do not have to provide a full-fledged "literary" analysis of the work; rather, you will be responsible for discussing its representation(s) of health, illness, or medicine, and examining these in relation to the literary elements (like plot, characterization, etc.). In other words, your analysis will follow the kinds of discussions we had of Hawthorne's short stories, Chekhov's Ivanov, or the other literary texts we have read for class.

Choosing option 1 will lead you to an analysis that will be like what we are doing in the final third of the class: cultural studies, rhetorical analysis, or anthropological/cross-cultural investigation. In all cases, we have ample examples in the class discussions and some of the critical texts that we have read (such as Brad Lewis's "Listening to Checkhov") of this kind of analysis.

Some examples of topics that would fit under option 1: antismoking public service announcements and ad campaigns, media reports about wounded servicepeople from Iraq and their rehabilitative needs, nutrition advice (and nutrition information, such as the "food pyramid"), media reports about obesity and other health care "crises," emerging diseases and contemporary controversies, vaccines and their controversies.

Possible texts that would fit under option 2 are listed on the main syllabus. Other choices should be cleared with Professor Hausman before embarking on the project.

Outside sources: This is not a research paper, but an interpretive paper. Depending on what you study, you may wish to consult one or two outside sources, to see what has been written on your topic and to get some ideas. However, I do not want your paper to be a report of other people's ideas. I am most interested in what you have to say about the topic you have chosen.

Paper formatting:

4-6 pages, although if you want to go longer, you can. 10 pages should be your limit though (remember, I have to read 50 of these)
See formatting pages for info about font size, Works Cited format, etc.

Handing in paper #3:

Hand the paper in on April 25, in class. Most of you will be able to hand in a paper held together with a staple. If you are analyzing documents (such as health pamphlets, advertisements, etc.) you might want to give me examples. In that case, use a folder with the paper on one side and the materials you analyze on another.

Back to LitMedCult syllabus page.