Narrative Ethics: Literary Texts and Moral Issues in Medicine

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Define central concepts in narrative ethics and explain how stories shape understandings of illness, caregiving, medical encounters, and moral responsibility.
• Closely analyze literary passages, identifying how narrative elements such as perspective, voice, characterization, imagery, and structure contribute to a text’s ethical meaning.
• Identify and interpret ethical tensions in literary and artistic representations of illness and medical care, supporting interpretations with specific evidence from course materials.
• Compare how social position, historical context, culture, and relationships influence the experiences and choices represented in course texts.
• Examine another person’s experience without assuming that it can be fully known, distinguishing evidence-based interpretation from projection or unsupported assumptions.
• Respond thoughtfully to classmates’ interpretations by asking questions, considering alternative readings, and communicating disagreement respectfully.
• Create an original critical or creative work that explores a course theme and explain how the work engages with particular readings, ideas, or ethical questions from the course.
• Produce clear, organized analytical writing that develops an interpretation, uses relevant textual evidence, and follows appropriate citation and editing conventions.
• Synthesize and assess their learning about narrative ethics, including how their interpretations or assumptions developed during the course.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Critical Thinking Check-Ins	15%
Discussion Forum	30%
Reflect/Create	15%
Weekly Participation Grade	10%
“In Another’s Shoes” Multi-Step Assignment	20%
Reflection on Your Learning	10%

The final integrative assignments are required components of this course and must be attempted in order to earn a passing grade. Students may not opt out of these assignments based on their point total or current course grade. Even if a student has accumulated enough points to mathematically earn a passing grade, failure to submit a good-faith attempt at the required final integrative assignment(s) may result in a failing course grade.

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
100-94%	A
93-90%	A-
89-87%	B+
86-84%	B
83-80%	B-
79-77%	C+
76-74%	C
73-70%	C-
69-67%	D+
66-64%	D
63-61%	D-
60-0%	F

Attendance/Participation:

Because this is an online asynchronous course, attendance is demonstrated through regular and timely engagement with course materials, discussions, activities, and assignments. Participation means contributing thoughtfully to course discussions and activities, completing required work by established deadlines, and engaging respectfully with classmates and course content. Students are expected to log in regularly and remain actively involved throughout the term.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Frank, Arthur. The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics, Second Edition. U of Chicago Press, 2016.