THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN HEALTH & HEALING
IDM 360 / HUM credit
T/R 10:55-12:40
Taylor Music Center 224
IDM 360 / HUM credit
T/R 10:55-12:40
Taylor Music Center 224
Course Description
This experiential seminar will provide an opportunity for students to explore how the arts and humanities have contributed to our knowledge of health and healing. Students will have an opportunity to reflect, create, perform, write, and analyze personal narratives while examining how these endeavors, including art and music therapy, can influence well-being. Faculty from various disciplines will serve as facilitators and invite students to explore how specific practices such as ceramics, mask-making, music, poetry, and theater can influence medical and personal practices and consequently one’s well-being.
Learning Objectives:
To appreciate different disciplinary approaches to defining health and to identify challenges in medicine for which the arts and humanities can provide a useful lens or perspective.
Course "Mentors" (Department):
Prof. Patricia Culbert (Theater)
Prof. Christine Henseler (Modern Languages)
Prof. Nancy Niefield (Studio Arts)
Prof. Charles Steckler (Theater)
Prof. BK. Tuon (English)
Prof. Hilary Tann (Music)
Prof. Carol Weisse (Psychology, Health Professions)
Participation / Preparation / Assignments: 25%
To receive an "A" in this course, you must be actively engaged and very well prepared for class because any and all homework is meant to enhance class discussions and further your intellectual understanding of the topic through a collaborative spirit of sharing. This means that all readings should be complete, you should be prepared with questions, and you should be participating in class discussions and hands-on assignments.
Blogs: 25% (Post to "BLOG" page, not student pages).
Website Contribution: 10%
Each student will contribute to the website Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace webpage through two contributions:
1. Write an exceptionally good blog entry to be submitted for possible posting onto this website. The blog should engage with why the arts and humanities are important for the future of the health professions. What is the relationship between the arts and humanities and the professional world?
The blog is due Tuesday, May 13th, by e-mail to Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu) and
Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu)
2. Submit one empirical research article (preferably a random controlled trial) that illustrates how the arts and humanities influence health and healing. A two-page essay should explain the study and how it relates specifically to one of the class topics. To be submitted Tuesday April 17th to Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu) and Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu). Please also post your essay and attach or link the empirical study to your personal pages.
(note: this article could be included in the bibliography for your final project should you choose to pursue the topic further)
Final Research Project: 40% (Interactive Discussion is 10% of final project)
Each student has their own personal page on this website (see Student Pages) upon which they can develop and post their final research project. Because the final project will be posted on a website, multimedia elements, such as YouTube clips, live links, or images, can easily be included. The research topic is open to the interest of each student.
Length: 8-10 pages not over 10 pages / times new roman 12 pt type 1-inch margins, double spaced
The research topic is open to the interest of each student, but need to bridge medical professions and the arts and humanities.
Possible Research Topics as Brainstormed in Class:
Interactive Discussion (10-15 minutes)
The goal of this piece of your final project is to lead a class discussion and bring questions to the table that engage classmates in dialogue about the material discussed in class and your individual research.
EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION
I. CONTENT/INTEGRATION: (total 17)
A. Knowledgeable about subject matter (10)
B. Integration (i.e. incorporated information from class readings, made ties to lecture topics) (4)
C. Creativity/Originality (3)
II. PRESENTATION STYLE/EFFECTIVENESS: (Total 8)
A. Clarity/Organization (flow, use of visual aids, ppt etc..) (2
B. Public presence in front of class (1)
C. Ability to maintain class's attention and elicit participation (5)
SCHEDULE
PART 1: ~ JOURNEY NARRATIVES:
Embarking on rites of passage together
WEEK 1
Tuesday, April 1
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH AND HEALING
THE GREAT DIVIDE: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE ARTS AND MEDICINE
Bring to class an example of how the arts and humanities contributed to your health and healing
(this can be in the shape of a video, piece of artwork, poem, photo, or other expression)
Please read:
Shapiro, J., Coulehan, J., Wear, D., & Montello, M. (2009). Medical humanities and their discontents: Definitions, critiques, and implications. Academic Medicine, 84 (2), 192-198. (see pdf below)
Thursday, April 3 (Last name A-O go to ceramics studio up near fieldhouse; Last name R-Z go to Taylor Music Center #224)
CERAMIC VESSEL AS A METAPHOR/WHY DOES ART MATTER? OR DOES IT?
WITH NANCY NIEFIELD AND CAROL WEISSE
NOTE: This is a two part session and the class will be divided in half so that some of you will go to the ceramics studio (on Nott St. up near the fieldhouse) on this day while others will go to our regular classroom in Taylor Music Center 224. On Tuesday, you will reverse your assignment, so if you went to the studio on Thursday you will go to the classroom on the following Tuesday and vice versa.
STUDIO SEGMENT
In this segment, you will create clay vessels and reflect on ways that artists have used their craft to connect with culture and history. For some ceramic artists, the vessel is a metaphor for the self and represents the human body.
Read pdf (above) of excerpt from Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes, Chilton Book Company, 1976
Click to Download: images from Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes, Chilton Book Company, 1976
Click to Download:
excerpt from Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender, Harper Collins, 1995
Click to Download:
The Inescapable, Indivisible Essence of Pottery
by Warren Frederick
WEEK 2
Tuesday, April 8 (Last name A-O go toTaylor Music Center #224 ; Last name R-Z go to ceramics studio up near fieldhouse)
CERAMIC VESSEL AS A METAPHOR/WHY DOES ART MATTER? OR DOES IT?
WITH NANCY NIEFIELD AND CAROL WEISSE
CLASSROOM SEGMENT (If you were assigned to the studio last Thursday, go to the classroom today. If you went to the classroom last Thursday, go to the ceramics studio up on Nott St. by the fieldhouse today!)
In this segment, you will explore human form and function while examining how sensory systems, especially touch and vision, play an important role in health and healing. You will be asked to observe images of pathological and healthy bodies depicted in various art forms and to discuss how color, shape, and texture can offer clues about health. You will be asked to discuss how the hands and eyes are used in medicine. In addition, research on the use of art therapy will be examined.
Assigned readings:
Review the following links prior to class:
http://health.yahoo.net/3dbodymaps
http://www.artandmedicine.com/ (note: some images may be unpleasant or disturbing)
http://www.bmj.com/content/316/7126/201 (why are randomized controlled trials important?)
Thursday, April 10
MASK-MAKING FOR LIFE HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION
IN YULMAN THEATRE (Studio B-basement)
WITH CHARLES STECKLER AND CAROL WEISSE
Throughout history and across cultures people have created and worn masks for widely various social functions and personal reasons, in communal rituals or to project alternative versions of the personal self. As a disguise masks allow the wearer to pretend that he or she is someone, or some thing, else. In that sense masks can be used as tools of temporary self-transformation. In this hands-on workshop we will make masks that conceal the wearer’s identity, simultaneously revealing another face, a second self.
Readings:
1. “The Significance of Masks in Ritual and Spirituality” by Omar Khateeb (see pdf below)
2. “First Principles” from Great Masks by Oto Bihalji-Merin (see pdf below)
Art therapy for people suffering from PTSD:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/24/18471262-unmasking-the-agony-combat-troops-turn-to-art-therapy?lite
WEEK 3
Tuesday, April 15
MASK-MAKING (cont.)
IN YULMAN THEATRE (Studio B Basement)
WITH CHARLES STECKLER AND CAROL WEISSE
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced mee-hy-cheek-sent-sent-me-HY-ee): Flow, the secret to happiness TED talk. As you view the video, think about whether you experienced the "flow" while making your mask.
This experiential seminar will provide an opportunity for students to explore how the arts and humanities have contributed to our knowledge of health and healing. Students will have an opportunity to reflect, create, perform, write, and analyze personal narratives while examining how these endeavors, including art and music therapy, can influence well-being. Faculty from various disciplines will serve as facilitators and invite students to explore how specific practices such as ceramics, mask-making, music, poetry, and theater can influence medical and personal practices and consequently one’s well-being.
Learning Objectives:
To appreciate different disciplinary approaches to defining health and to identify challenges in medicine for which the arts and humanities can provide a useful lens or perspective.
- To understand the role that the arts and humanities play in health and healing.
- To explore the connections between mental and physical pain through the arts and narrative
- To gain hands-on experience in tools and techniques that connect the arts and narrative to health and healing.
- To examine ways in which the arts and humanities “inform” as well as challenge contemporary Western medical education and practices.
Course "Mentors" (Department):
Prof. Patricia Culbert (Theater)
Prof. Christine Henseler (Modern Languages)
Prof. Nancy Niefield (Studio Arts)
Prof. Charles Steckler (Theater)
Prof. BK. Tuon (English)
Prof. Hilary Tann (Music)
Prof. Carol Weisse (Psychology, Health Professions)
Participation / Preparation / Assignments: 25%
To receive an "A" in this course, you must be actively engaged and very well prepared for class because any and all homework is meant to enhance class discussions and further your intellectual understanding of the topic through a collaborative spirit of sharing. This means that all readings should be complete, you should be prepared with questions, and you should be participating in class discussions and hands-on assignments.
Blogs: 25% (Post to "BLOG" page, not student pages).
- Write and react to 5 blogs (see page on "How to Write a Good Blog").
- These 5 blogs must concern themselves with the five experiential components of this class :
- Clay activity with Nancy Niefield
- Mask-making with Charles Steckler
- Poetry writing with Bunkong Tuon
- Health and Healing through Theatre Arts with Patricia Culbert
- Music and Music therapy with Hilary Tann
- The goal of each blog is to provide a personal reaction to the experiential activity as well as the assigned readings for each segment.
- Each blog must be posted with the student's name no later than three days after the end of the class segment. In addition, each student must comment on someone else's blog entry.
- Blog quality (voice, organization, opinion, added material, reference to readings) will determine the blog grade.
- All students must keep a file of all of their blogs and blog comments, organized by date and activity to be handed in the last week of classes (see schedule).
- Final Blog files are due on May 29th
Website Contribution: 10%
Each student will contribute to the website Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace webpage through two contributions:
1. Write an exceptionally good blog entry to be submitted for possible posting onto this website. The blog should engage with why the arts and humanities are important for the future of the health professions. What is the relationship between the arts and humanities and the professional world?
The blog is due Tuesday, May 13th, by e-mail to Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu) and
Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu)
2. Submit one empirical research article (preferably a random controlled trial) that illustrates how the arts and humanities influence health and healing. A two-page essay should explain the study and how it relates specifically to one of the class topics. To be submitted Tuesday April 17th to Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu) and Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu). Please also post your essay and attach or link the empirical study to your personal pages.
(note: this article could be included in the bibliography for your final project should you choose to pursue the topic further)
Final Research Project: 40% (Interactive Discussion is 10% of final project)
Each student has their own personal page on this website (see Student Pages) upon which they can develop and post their final research project. Because the final project will be posted on a website, multimedia elements, such as YouTube clips, live links, or images, can easily be included. The research topic is open to the interest of each student.
Length: 8-10 pages not over 10 pages / times new roman 12 pt type 1-inch margins, double spaced
The research topic is open to the interest of each student, but need to bridge medical professions and the arts and humanities.
Possible Research Topics as Brainstormed in Class:
- How is music used in pediatric dentistry to decrease pain and anxiety?
- How does writing impact the experience of the medical professional. How does writing impact burn-out issues.
- Perceptions about positive and negative views on education and practice. In training.
- The use of music in the operating room? Physiological effects of music on surgery and the patients.
- How do different arts affect/can be used for different age groups?
- How does Vicram yoga affect goal setting and drug addiction.
- PTSD in playback theatre and if it sparks anxiety or goes away or stays once acted out.
- Atemporality vs. materiality in experience. Physical dumping out and reflecting on that or working on it piece by piece.
- How do you measure music therapy? What is the effectiveness?
- Playback theatre is not effective while psychodrama is.
- The power of lines. The crack in a pot. The lines between patients and doctors, ethics.
- Effects and side effects of psychiatric drugs vs of arts and humanities.
- Touch and sensory sensation vs. technology in professional space.
- Is playback theatre the most effective?
- Lack of proof for music theatre effectiveness?
- Effectiveness of group therapy as a form of therapy.
- Should insurance cover alternative practices? Look at empirical evidence. Take a global cultural approach.
- The use of therapy for chronic pain.
- Quality of life as important in medicine. Is that worthwhile in health care.
- Use of arts in end-of-life care. Psychological effects.
- Multiple identity disorders in relation to the creation of masks.
- Can experiencing art and reflecting on that improve the quality of care giving? What effects have they had on medical students.
- How do you measure artistic interventions in medicine.
- How does touch improve premature born babies.
- Comparing medical students in different countries.
- Receiving a degree in Liberal Arts vs. going directly into sciences, professional degrees.
- Art creation on the effects of marriage.
Interactive Discussion (10-15 minutes)
The goal of this piece of your final project is to lead a class discussion and bring questions to the table that engage classmates in dialogue about the material discussed in class and your individual research.
EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION
I. CONTENT/INTEGRATION: (total 17)
A. Knowledgeable about subject matter (10)
B. Integration (i.e. incorporated information from class readings, made ties to lecture topics) (4)
C. Creativity/Originality (3)
II. PRESENTATION STYLE/EFFECTIVENESS: (Total 8)
A. Clarity/Organization (flow, use of visual aids, ppt etc..) (2
B. Public presence in front of class (1)
C. Ability to maintain class's attention and elicit participation (5)
SCHEDULE
PART 1: ~ JOURNEY NARRATIVES:
Embarking on rites of passage together
WEEK 1
Tuesday, April 1
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH AND HEALING
THE GREAT DIVIDE: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE ARTS AND MEDICINE
Bring to class an example of how the arts and humanities contributed to your health and healing
(this can be in the shape of a video, piece of artwork, poem, photo, or other expression)
Please read:
Shapiro, J., Coulehan, J., Wear, D., & Montello, M. (2009). Medical humanities and their discontents: Definitions, critiques, and implications. Academic Medicine, 84 (2), 192-198. (see pdf below)
Thursday, April 3 (Last name A-O go to ceramics studio up near fieldhouse; Last name R-Z go to Taylor Music Center #224)
CERAMIC VESSEL AS A METAPHOR/WHY DOES ART MATTER? OR DOES IT?
WITH NANCY NIEFIELD AND CAROL WEISSE
NOTE: This is a two part session and the class will be divided in half so that some of you will go to the ceramics studio (on Nott St. up near the fieldhouse) on this day while others will go to our regular classroom in Taylor Music Center 224. On Tuesday, you will reverse your assignment, so if you went to the studio on Thursday you will go to the classroom on the following Tuesday and vice versa.
STUDIO SEGMENT
In this segment, you will create clay vessels and reflect on ways that artists have used their craft to connect with culture and history. For some ceramic artists, the vessel is a metaphor for the self and represents the human body.
Read pdf (above) of excerpt from Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes, Chilton Book Company, 1976
Click to Download: images from Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes, Chilton Book Company, 1976
Click to Download:
excerpt from Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender, Harper Collins, 1995
Click to Download:
The Inescapable, Indivisible Essence of Pottery
by Warren Frederick
WEEK 2
Tuesday, April 8 (Last name A-O go toTaylor Music Center #224 ; Last name R-Z go to ceramics studio up near fieldhouse)
CERAMIC VESSEL AS A METAPHOR/WHY DOES ART MATTER? OR DOES IT?
WITH NANCY NIEFIELD AND CAROL WEISSE
CLASSROOM SEGMENT (If you were assigned to the studio last Thursday, go to the classroom today. If you went to the classroom last Thursday, go to the ceramics studio up on Nott St. by the fieldhouse today!)
In this segment, you will explore human form and function while examining how sensory systems, especially touch and vision, play an important role in health and healing. You will be asked to observe images of pathological and healthy bodies depicted in various art forms and to discuss how color, shape, and texture can offer clues about health. You will be asked to discuss how the hands and eyes are used in medicine. In addition, research on the use of art therapy will be examined.
Assigned readings:
- The Therapeutic Value of the Arts: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/279/5/398.full.pdf
- http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/art-and-the-limits-of-neuroscience/
- Kumagai, A.K. (2012). Acts of Interpretation: A philosophical approach to using creative arts in medical education. Academic Medicine, 87(8), 1-7. (see pdf below)
- Bell, C.E., & Robbins, S.J. Effect of art production on negative mood: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 24(2), 71-75. (see pdf below)
Review the following links prior to class:
http://health.yahoo.net/3dbodymaps
http://www.artandmedicine.com/ (note: some images may be unpleasant or disturbing)
http://www.bmj.com/content/316/7126/201 (why are randomized controlled trials important?)
Thursday, April 10
MASK-MAKING FOR LIFE HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION
IN YULMAN THEATRE (Studio B-basement)
WITH CHARLES STECKLER AND CAROL WEISSE
Throughout history and across cultures people have created and worn masks for widely various social functions and personal reasons, in communal rituals or to project alternative versions of the personal self. As a disguise masks allow the wearer to pretend that he or she is someone, or some thing, else. In that sense masks can be used as tools of temporary self-transformation. In this hands-on workshop we will make masks that conceal the wearer’s identity, simultaneously revealing another face, a second self.
Readings:
1. “The Significance of Masks in Ritual and Spirituality” by Omar Khateeb (see pdf below)
2. “First Principles” from Great Masks by Oto Bihalji-Merin (see pdf below)
Art therapy for people suffering from PTSD:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/24/18471262-unmasking-the-agony-combat-troops-turn-to-art-therapy?lite
WEEK 3
Tuesday, April 15
MASK-MAKING (cont.)
IN YULMAN THEATRE (Studio B Basement)
WITH CHARLES STECKLER AND CAROL WEISSE
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced mee-hy-cheek-sent-sent-me-HY-ee): Flow, the secret to happiness TED talk. As you view the video, think about whether you experienced the "flow" while making your mask.
PART II ~ TRANSFORMATIONAL NARRATIVES:
Changing Encounters
Thursday, April 17
POETRY AND THE ART OF HEALING
WITH BUNKONG TUON
In this section, we will explore the relationship between creative writing (mainly poetry) and healing. To help you understand the therapeutic aspect of literature, please read Tuon’s “On Fathers, Losses, and other Influences” his poems on family and childhood, and Sherry Reiter's "The Ten Principles of Transformative Writing," Also, please bring two personal poems that you have written for our poetry workshop.
Readings
1. Tuon, Bunkong. "On Fathers, Losses, and other Influences" from Numéro Cinq. Feb 2013 issue.
2. Tuon, Bunkong. Poems from "Gruel" (NYQ Press).
3. Reiter, Sherry. "The Ten Principles of Transformative Writing." from Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping through Transformative Writing. Ed. Sherry Reiter. North Star Press: St. Cloud, MN, 2009.
Due: two-page essay that explains an empirical study and how it relates specifically to one of the class topics.
WEEK 4
Tuesday, April 22
POETRY AND THE ART OF HEALING
WITH BUNKONG TUON
On this second day of “Poetry and the Art of Healing,” we will read/perform our personal poems and discuss the process of composing our poetry. To continue the theme of poetry and healing, please also read Preston H. Hood's "The Poem That Was Snake Medicine."
Thursday, April 24
No class in the morning. Evening 3-hour evening workshop from 6:00-9:00pm
HEALTH AND HEALING THROUGH THEATRE ARTS WITH PATRICIA CULBERT in STUDIO A, YULMAN THEATRE
"How Actors Use Healing Arts in their Training and Craft"
Readings:
Thursday 24 no class (during the day)
WEEK 5
Monday, April 28th (Michael Kennedy)
Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center, 7:00 - 8:40pm
EVENING WITH PLAYBACK THEATRE
Theatre has a long tradition of playing a healing role for communities and for individuals. Contemporary applications range from the overtly therapeutic techniques of Psychodrama to the mixed emphasis on art and healing exemplified by Playback Theatre. In this session, both Psychodramatic action methods and Playback will be touched upon through demonstrations by practitioners, with opportunities for student participation.
Tuesday, April 29th (Michael Kennedy)
TMC 224: Conversation about Psychodrama and Playback Theatre
Michael Kennedy is an experiential counselor with extensive training in psychodramatic action methods, addiction and trauma recovery and group work. Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and a Master’s in Community Psychology. Her employment history includes directing a long term residential treatment program for adolescents and young adults, coordinating a Drug Free Communities coalition, providing therapy and case management for women and children affected by domestic violence, and offering professional trainings focused on psychodramatic action, sociometry and creative group work. She is currently the Victim Services Leader for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in New York State. Michael has over thirty years’ experience in theater as a director, actor, teacher and playwright, including long term participation as an actor and conductor in the Pentimento Playback Theater Company and as an actor portraying a child sexual abuse victim for the Safe Horizons' Forensic Interviewing Training. She taught the master class at NYSTI’s Theatre Arts School for six years, writing and directing an original script each year, and continues to write, act, direct and produce theatre locally. In addition, Michael is the mother of a daughter who survived cancer and liver transplant at age five, and has extensive personal experience with advocating with medical professionals during the care of a critically ill loved one.
Thursday, May 1st
PATHS OF JOURNEY, WITNESSING AND TRANSFORMATIONAL NARRATIVES THROUGH MUSIC
SPEECH AND SONG: Communicative aspects of music (Part I)
HILARY TANN
During this first music segment we will consider various ways that words and music intersect and influence each other. You are asked to read the pdfs (below). We will develop a lay person's vocabulary for talking about music in preparation for the second music segment, May 8th.
Readings:
1. "What is Music Therapy" (pdf below) from the website of the American Music Therapy Association.
2. Video: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_MindBodyNews/gabby-giffords-finding-voice-music-therapy/story?id=14903987#.U10cAraTe9E.email
3. "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks (pdf below)
4. "Aphasia and Music Therapy" by Oliver Sacks (pdf below)
5. "The Gifted Listener" by Aaron Copland (pdf below)
WEEK 6
MUSIC THERAPY
Monday May 5, Evening, 5:00-5:50pm Emerson Auditorium
Taylor Time! Music Therapist: Kenneth Aigan
Followed by Conversation and Dinner in WOLD House, from 6:00-8:00pm
Presentation Title
The Art of Music as Therapy: Accessing the Healthy Core through Clinical Improvisation
Description
Music therapists work across the entire human lifespan, with applications ranging from musically-assisted childbirth to supporting terminally ill clients and their families in hospice care. They also work across the entire spectrum of human functioning, ranging from individuals in coma and other minimal awareness states to wellness applications with individuals seeking an alternative form of psychotherapy and stress reduction. Approaches in music therapy vary from those that are more scientific and medical in orientation to those that are more creative and artistic. This presentation will introduce the discipline of music therapy with a focus on the use of improvisation to create relationship and stimulate cognitive and motoric functioning with impaired individuals. It will include a brief overview of the discipline, including who is qualified to practice it, its educational and professional training requirements, and its status as a recognized healthcare profession.
Presenter
Dr. Kenneth Aigen, MT-BC, LCAT
Associate Professor of Music Therapy
New York University
Kenneth Aigen has over 30 years of clinical experience as a music therapist working with children and adults. He is a past-president of the American Association for Music Therapy and a recipient of the Research and Publications Award from the American Music Therapy Association. He was the Chairman of the Scientific Committee for the Ninth World Congress of Music Therapy held in Washington, D.C. in 1999.
Changing Encounters
Thursday, April 17
POETRY AND THE ART OF HEALING
WITH BUNKONG TUON
In this section, we will explore the relationship between creative writing (mainly poetry) and healing. To help you understand the therapeutic aspect of literature, please read Tuon’s “On Fathers, Losses, and other Influences” his poems on family and childhood, and Sherry Reiter's "The Ten Principles of Transformative Writing," Also, please bring two personal poems that you have written for our poetry workshop.
Readings
1. Tuon, Bunkong. "On Fathers, Losses, and other Influences" from Numéro Cinq. Feb 2013 issue.
2. Tuon, Bunkong. Poems from "Gruel" (NYQ Press).
3. Reiter, Sherry. "The Ten Principles of Transformative Writing." from Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping through Transformative Writing. Ed. Sherry Reiter. North Star Press: St. Cloud, MN, 2009.
Due: two-page essay that explains an empirical study and how it relates specifically to one of the class topics.
WEEK 4
Tuesday, April 22
POETRY AND THE ART OF HEALING
WITH BUNKONG TUON
On this second day of “Poetry and the Art of Healing,” we will read/perform our personal poems and discuss the process of composing our poetry. To continue the theme of poetry and healing, please also read Preston H. Hood's "The Poem That Was Snake Medicine."
Thursday, April 24
No class in the morning. Evening 3-hour evening workshop from 6:00-9:00pm
HEALTH AND HEALING THROUGH THEATRE ARTS WITH PATRICIA CULBERT in STUDIO A, YULMAN THEATRE
"How Actors Use Healing Arts in their Training and Craft"
Readings:
- Learning to Think Outside the Box, by Laura Pappano (click link)
- A Little Course in Dreams, by Robert Bosnak (pdf found below)
- Body, Voice, Imagination, by David Zinder (pdf found below)
Thursday 24 no class (during the day)
WEEK 5
Monday, April 28th (Michael Kennedy)
Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center, 7:00 - 8:40pm
EVENING WITH PLAYBACK THEATRE
Theatre has a long tradition of playing a healing role for communities and for individuals. Contemporary applications range from the overtly therapeutic techniques of Psychodrama to the mixed emphasis on art and healing exemplified by Playback Theatre. In this session, both Psychodramatic action methods and Playback will be touched upon through demonstrations by practitioners, with opportunities for student participation.
Tuesday, April 29th (Michael Kennedy)
TMC 224: Conversation about Psychodrama and Playback Theatre
Michael Kennedy is an experiential counselor with extensive training in psychodramatic action methods, addiction and trauma recovery and group work. Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and a Master’s in Community Psychology. Her employment history includes directing a long term residential treatment program for adolescents and young adults, coordinating a Drug Free Communities coalition, providing therapy and case management for women and children affected by domestic violence, and offering professional trainings focused on psychodramatic action, sociometry and creative group work. She is currently the Victim Services Leader for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in New York State. Michael has over thirty years’ experience in theater as a director, actor, teacher and playwright, including long term participation as an actor and conductor in the Pentimento Playback Theater Company and as an actor portraying a child sexual abuse victim for the Safe Horizons' Forensic Interviewing Training. She taught the master class at NYSTI’s Theatre Arts School for six years, writing and directing an original script each year, and continues to write, act, direct and produce theatre locally. In addition, Michael is the mother of a daughter who survived cancer and liver transplant at age five, and has extensive personal experience with advocating with medical professionals during the care of a critically ill loved one.
Thursday, May 1st
PATHS OF JOURNEY, WITNESSING AND TRANSFORMATIONAL NARRATIVES THROUGH MUSIC
SPEECH AND SONG: Communicative aspects of music (Part I)
HILARY TANN
During this first music segment we will consider various ways that words and music intersect and influence each other. You are asked to read the pdfs (below). We will develop a lay person's vocabulary for talking about music in preparation for the second music segment, May 8th.
Readings:
1. "What is Music Therapy" (pdf below) from the website of the American Music Therapy Association.
2. Video: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_MindBodyNews/gabby-giffords-finding-voice-music-therapy/story?id=14903987#.U10cAraTe9E.email
3. "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks (pdf below)
4. "Aphasia and Music Therapy" by Oliver Sacks (pdf below)
5. "The Gifted Listener" by Aaron Copland (pdf below)
WEEK 6
MUSIC THERAPY
Monday May 5, Evening, 5:00-5:50pm Emerson Auditorium
Taylor Time! Music Therapist: Kenneth Aigan
Followed by Conversation and Dinner in WOLD House, from 6:00-8:00pm
Presentation Title
The Art of Music as Therapy: Accessing the Healthy Core through Clinical Improvisation
Description
Music therapists work across the entire human lifespan, with applications ranging from musically-assisted childbirth to supporting terminally ill clients and their families in hospice care. They also work across the entire spectrum of human functioning, ranging from individuals in coma and other minimal awareness states to wellness applications with individuals seeking an alternative form of psychotherapy and stress reduction. Approaches in music therapy vary from those that are more scientific and medical in orientation to those that are more creative and artistic. This presentation will introduce the discipline of music therapy with a focus on the use of improvisation to create relationship and stimulate cognitive and motoric functioning with impaired individuals. It will include a brief overview of the discipline, including who is qualified to practice it, its educational and professional training requirements, and its status as a recognized healthcare profession.
Presenter
Dr. Kenneth Aigen, MT-BC, LCAT
Associate Professor of Music Therapy
New York University
Kenneth Aigen has over 30 years of clinical experience as a music therapist working with children and adults. He is a past-president of the American Association for Music Therapy and a recipient of the Research and Publications Award from the American Music Therapy Association. He was the Chairman of the Scientific Committee for the Ninth World Congress of Music Therapy held in Washington, D.C. in 1999.
The Study of Music Therapy
This book addresses the issues in music therapy that are central to understanding it in its scholarly dimensions, how it is evolving, and how it connects to related academic disciplines. [. . .]
Some of the topics discussed include defining the nature of music therapy, its relation to current and historical uses of music in human å well-being, and considerations on what makes music therapy work. Contemporary thinking on the role of neurological theory, early interaction theory, and evolutionary considerations in music therapy theory are also reviewed. Within each of these areas, the author presents overview of the development of thinking, discusses contrasting positions, and offers a personalized synthesis of the issue. The Study of Music Therapy is the only book in music therapy that gathers all the major issues currently debated in the field, providing a critical overview of the predominance of opinions on these issues.
Tuesday May 6: No class
Thursday May 8
SPEECH AND SONG: Communicative aspects of music (Part II)
HILARY TANN
During this class you will be asked to share a piece of music of your choice with the class. Although each participant will only have c. 5 minutes for the presentation, we hope to include time for comments and some discussion. This class will provide a "snapshot" (a group sonic photograph) of music which is meaningful to our IDM360 family.
Assignment:
1. Choose a song (music with words) which "has meaning" for you.
2. Bring your chosen piece to class on a mobile device with headphone jack (or laptop with headphone jack) cued to a representative 1'-2' excerpt.
3. Briefly describe the musical qualities of the word-setting as clearly as possible.
4. Tell us why the piece "has meaning" for you (and, perhaps, why you think it might "have meaning" for others).
5. Respond to any questions/comments.
PART III: PERSONAL JOURNEYS IN THE ART OF HEALTH AND HEALING
WEEK 7
FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Tuesday, May 13
Class Discussion / Debate and beginning discussion about final project.
Blog due for Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace.
Write an exceptionally good blog entry to be submitted for possible public posting onto Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace webpage. The blog should engage with why the arts and humanities are important for the future of the health professions. What is the relationship between the arts and humanities and the professional world? Your grade will be based on your analytical and creative efforts, similar to those you are using in your other blogs. Grammar and organization will be highly valued.
E-mail them to Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu) and Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu) no later than on midnight, Tuesday, May 13th.
Thursday May 15
Beginning Discussion on Final Projects (please read article below that was just published in Academic Medicine).
Present to your peers (not a Powerpoint, just in small groups)
What is your paper topic? What is your argument? What material have you found on the topic?
WEEK 8
Tuesday, May 20
No Class.
Both Professor's Weisse and Henseler will be holding office hours. Please stop by if you would like to discuss your final papers.
Readers:
Allie- reading the part of Inez Pope
Sarah - reading the part of Hannah
Discussion Leaders:
Sammi, Melissa
For Reader's Theatre: Send discussion questions to discussion leaders.
Post them right here:
1. How does the doctor’s language influence Hannah’s reactions? What kind of education in medical school (particularly in arts and humanities) would allow for a better use of language when interacting with patients and/or patient’s families?
2. After reading Hannah’s story and seeing how visiting Henry helped her to heal, do you think doctor’s should consider this as a valid method of therapy for organ donor families? Or was the doctor right when advising against it?
3. Is the doctor’s letter to Hannah regarding the placement of Sam’s organs appropriate? How does the doctor’s lack of empathy influence Hannah’s actions?
4. If doctors really do “feel”, as Dr. Ofri has previously stated, what has caused Hannah to feel so infuriated towards the doctor? How could the doctor’s actions improve the patient-doctor relationship? Would that have influenced Hannah’s actions?5. The question of whether Hannah should allow her husband’s organs to be harvested seemed to be rushed… do you think if the doctor had given her more time or explained better what would be done with the organs that Hannah would have had different feelings or dealt with it differently?
6. Do you think that the manner in which Hannah’s husband died, so sudden and her watching it happen, had an effect on Hannah’s unwillingness to let go before she could hear the heart?
7. Would dream theatre be something helpful for Hannah in reenacting her dream of the heart being put into another man’s body?
8. Do you think Hannah’s demeanor would have changed if the doctor used a different word instead of “harvest” when referring to transplanting her husband’s organs? Immediately when she heard the word harvest she equated something in her husband’s body to a meaningless, disconnected process—“harvesting” wheat. What if the doctor initially used the word “donate” or “provide others with” to give a more altruistic image, do you think Hannah still would have reacted with such hesitation?
9. How would you feel if you were in Hannah’s place? Would you want to hear your significant other’s heart beat one last time, or not? Do you think this would signify closure to you, or do you think it is just the tragic nature of Sam’s death that made Hannah feel this way?
10. What do you think is the significance of Henry Pope letting Hannah listen to his heart against his wife’s wishes? What is the significance of his attitude changing so drastically from his first communication with Hannah to his last? What do you make of his demeanor changing after he let Hannah listen to his heart?
11. Where do you think Hannah is now? Do you think she is content with her husband’s death because she had the opportunity to listen to his heart one last time, or do you think she still has regrets about donating Sam’s organs because she no longer feels that he is as “whole” as he was when he was alive. Do you think Hannah would be an organ donor, herself, after going through this whole sequence of events?
12. Ivy Lou states: “It’s just not Christian, Hannah! What could you be thinking?” and religion is an integral part of this story. What role does/should religion play in health and healing?
13. Hannah states: “Think! Doctors don’t think, they just do!” What do you think about this assertion? Can the arts serve as a gateway to help medical professionals “do” and think?
14. Are there benefits or draw-backs to using technical terminology in medical encounters? When Hannah relates the term of “harvesting organs” as a technical way of saying “dismembering and evisceration”, would layperson terminology in medical encounters alleviate some of the anxiety placed on families or patients in this type of situation?
15. At the same time why do physicians use technical jargon when speaking with patients when it could lead to miscommunication and frustration? Would using layperson terminology create a relationship that is too personal between patient and physician, that makes non-bias treatment difficult for the physician who is more emotionally attached to a patient?
16. Is there enough focus on family members in medical encounters like this, and alleviating the strain on families when a death occurs within a medical setting? Should it be the doctor’s or hospital’s responsibility to check in on those family members throughout the grieving process?
Wednesday May 21,
5:30 pm Everest Lounge dinner with Dr. Ofri (please rsvp weissec@union.edu by 4
7:00 pm Reamer Auditorium required talk "The Amygdala and the Stethoscope: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine" by Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of "What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine"
Please read the following essay by Dr. Ofri and a NYTimes write up about her work. Also, listen to Dr. Rita Charon's Ted Talk on narrative medicine (see links below) and think about the power of words (transformational narratives)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6DB1530F936A15751C1A9639C8B63
http://ce.columbia.edu/video/nmed-charon-ted
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/health/in-what-doctors-feel-pain-is-not-just-the-realm-of-patients.html?_r=0
Thursday May 22
READER'S THEATRE
WITH CAROL WEISSE
Read Wither Thou Goest by Dr. Richard Selzer '48 (pdf below)
WEEK 9
Tuesday May 27 in Ceramics and Painting Studio
morning class: Raku Preparation
Tuesday May 27 / Evening 5:45 - 9:00pm. Outside of Ceramics and Painting Studio
Firing with food and drink (Rain date is Thursday)
Thursday May 29
No class, work on Final Projects
Conduct virtual peer reviews of your first draft in these groups (You should have at least 5 pages written).
Jakub, Emma, Emily
Allie, Caroline and Sammi
Eva, Melissa, and Maria
Tori, Rebecca ad BC
Sarah, Harkey, Emily O.
Final blog files are due
This book addresses the issues in music therapy that are central to understanding it in its scholarly dimensions, how it is evolving, and how it connects to related academic disciplines. [. . .]
Some of the topics discussed include defining the nature of music therapy, its relation to current and historical uses of music in human å well-being, and considerations on what makes music therapy work. Contemporary thinking on the role of neurological theory, early interaction theory, and evolutionary considerations in music therapy theory are also reviewed. Within each of these areas, the author presents overview of the development of thinking, discusses contrasting positions, and offers a personalized synthesis of the issue. The Study of Music Therapy is the only book in music therapy that gathers all the major issues currently debated in the field, providing a critical overview of the predominance of opinions on these issues.
Tuesday May 6: No class
Thursday May 8
SPEECH AND SONG: Communicative aspects of music (Part II)
HILARY TANN
During this class you will be asked to share a piece of music of your choice with the class. Although each participant will only have c. 5 minutes for the presentation, we hope to include time for comments and some discussion. This class will provide a "snapshot" (a group sonic photograph) of music which is meaningful to our IDM360 family.
Assignment:
1. Choose a song (music with words) which "has meaning" for you.
2. Bring your chosen piece to class on a mobile device with headphone jack (or laptop with headphone jack) cued to a representative 1'-2' excerpt.
3. Briefly describe the musical qualities of the word-setting as clearly as possible.
4. Tell us why the piece "has meaning" for you (and, perhaps, why you think it might "have meaning" for others).
5. Respond to any questions/comments.
PART III: PERSONAL JOURNEYS IN THE ART OF HEALTH AND HEALING
WEEK 7
FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Tuesday, May 13
Class Discussion / Debate and beginning discussion about final project.
Blog due for Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace.
Write an exceptionally good blog entry to be submitted for possible public posting onto Arts & Humanities in the 21st Century Workplace webpage. The blog should engage with why the arts and humanities are important for the future of the health professions. What is the relationship between the arts and humanities and the professional world? Your grade will be based on your analytical and creative efforts, similar to those you are using in your other blogs. Grammar and organization will be highly valued.
E-mail them to Christine Henseler (henselec@union.edu) and Carol Weisse (weissec@union.edu) no later than on midnight, Tuesday, May 13th.
Thursday May 15
Beginning Discussion on Final Projects (please read article below that was just published in Academic Medicine).
Present to your peers (not a Powerpoint, just in small groups)
What is your paper topic? What is your argument? What material have you found on the topic?
WEEK 8
Tuesday, May 20
No Class.
Both Professor's Weisse and Henseler will be holding office hours. Please stop by if you would like to discuss your final papers.
Readers:
Allie- reading the part of Inez Pope
Sarah - reading the part of Hannah
Discussion Leaders:
Sammi, Melissa
For Reader's Theatre: Send discussion questions to discussion leaders.
Post them right here:
1. How does the doctor’s language influence Hannah’s reactions? What kind of education in medical school (particularly in arts and humanities) would allow for a better use of language when interacting with patients and/or patient’s families?
2. After reading Hannah’s story and seeing how visiting Henry helped her to heal, do you think doctor’s should consider this as a valid method of therapy for organ donor families? Or was the doctor right when advising against it?
3. Is the doctor’s letter to Hannah regarding the placement of Sam’s organs appropriate? How does the doctor’s lack of empathy influence Hannah’s actions?
4. If doctors really do “feel”, as Dr. Ofri has previously stated, what has caused Hannah to feel so infuriated towards the doctor? How could the doctor’s actions improve the patient-doctor relationship? Would that have influenced Hannah’s actions?5. The question of whether Hannah should allow her husband’s organs to be harvested seemed to be rushed… do you think if the doctor had given her more time or explained better what would be done with the organs that Hannah would have had different feelings or dealt with it differently?
6. Do you think that the manner in which Hannah’s husband died, so sudden and her watching it happen, had an effect on Hannah’s unwillingness to let go before she could hear the heart?
7. Would dream theatre be something helpful for Hannah in reenacting her dream of the heart being put into another man’s body?
8. Do you think Hannah’s demeanor would have changed if the doctor used a different word instead of “harvest” when referring to transplanting her husband’s organs? Immediately when she heard the word harvest she equated something in her husband’s body to a meaningless, disconnected process—“harvesting” wheat. What if the doctor initially used the word “donate” or “provide others with” to give a more altruistic image, do you think Hannah still would have reacted with such hesitation?
9. How would you feel if you were in Hannah’s place? Would you want to hear your significant other’s heart beat one last time, or not? Do you think this would signify closure to you, or do you think it is just the tragic nature of Sam’s death that made Hannah feel this way?
10. What do you think is the significance of Henry Pope letting Hannah listen to his heart against his wife’s wishes? What is the significance of his attitude changing so drastically from his first communication with Hannah to his last? What do you make of his demeanor changing after he let Hannah listen to his heart?
11. Where do you think Hannah is now? Do you think she is content with her husband’s death because she had the opportunity to listen to his heart one last time, or do you think she still has regrets about donating Sam’s organs because she no longer feels that he is as “whole” as he was when he was alive. Do you think Hannah would be an organ donor, herself, after going through this whole sequence of events?
12. Ivy Lou states: “It’s just not Christian, Hannah! What could you be thinking?” and religion is an integral part of this story. What role does/should religion play in health and healing?
13. Hannah states: “Think! Doctors don’t think, they just do!” What do you think about this assertion? Can the arts serve as a gateway to help medical professionals “do” and think?
14. Are there benefits or draw-backs to using technical terminology in medical encounters? When Hannah relates the term of “harvesting organs” as a technical way of saying “dismembering and evisceration”, would layperson terminology in medical encounters alleviate some of the anxiety placed on families or patients in this type of situation?
15. At the same time why do physicians use technical jargon when speaking with patients when it could lead to miscommunication and frustration? Would using layperson terminology create a relationship that is too personal between patient and physician, that makes non-bias treatment difficult for the physician who is more emotionally attached to a patient?
16. Is there enough focus on family members in medical encounters like this, and alleviating the strain on families when a death occurs within a medical setting? Should it be the doctor’s or hospital’s responsibility to check in on those family members throughout the grieving process?
Wednesday May 21,
5:30 pm Everest Lounge dinner with Dr. Ofri (please rsvp weissec@union.edu by 4
7:00 pm Reamer Auditorium required talk "The Amygdala and the Stethoscope: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine" by Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of "What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine"
Please read the following essay by Dr. Ofri and a NYTimes write up about her work. Also, listen to Dr. Rita Charon's Ted Talk on narrative medicine (see links below) and think about the power of words (transformational narratives)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6DB1530F936A15751C1A9639C8B63
http://ce.columbia.edu/video/nmed-charon-ted
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/health/in-what-doctors-feel-pain-is-not-just-the-realm-of-patients.html?_r=0
Thursday May 22
READER'S THEATRE
WITH CAROL WEISSE
Read Wither Thou Goest by Dr. Richard Selzer '48 (pdf below)
WEEK 9
Tuesday May 27 in Ceramics and Painting Studio
morning class: Raku Preparation
Tuesday May 27 / Evening 5:45 - 9:00pm. Outside of Ceramics and Painting Studio
Firing with food and drink (Rain date is Thursday)
Thursday May 29
No class, work on Final Projects
Conduct virtual peer reviews of your first draft in these groups (You should have at least 5 pages written).
Jakub, Emma, Emily
Allie, Caroline and Sammi
Eva, Melissa, and Maria
Tori, Rebecca ad BC
Sarah, Harkey, Emily O.
Final blog files are due
