Medicine and society in Europe 1500-1930
On this page
|
|
|
|
|
| 7 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown.
Summary
This fascinating introduction to the last five centuries of medical history traces developments in medicine from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. It shows how a heritage of medical thought and practice inherited from classical Greece gradually became a recognisably modern medicine. The course aims to set medicine in its social, political and economic contexts, looking at the patient’s changing experience of illness, their access to care, and the role and identity of healers across Europe. It shows how western medicine interacted with ideas from contemporary science, religion, and other systems of thought.
Course content
In today’s society, the growth of medical technologies, costs of treatment and provision of medical care have become increasingly controversial issues which affect everybody’s life. History can provide a valuable perspective from which to make sense of today’s challenges. This course is for all students with an interest in history or medicine, and aims to provide a broad and deep understanding of how different social, political and cultural contexts shaped medical thought and practice between 1500 and 1930. Medical theories about the body and disease did not develop in isolation, but owed much to ideas from contemporary science and religion. The work of governments in providing health care was shaped by broader ideas of the proper function of the state. The role of hospitals was determined not just by the constraints of medical technology, but by funding and by the identity of patients as ’deserving cases’.
The course is organised chronologically, with each unit focusing on a major topic, such as the variety of healers in the early modern period; the development of the nineteenth-century medical profession; or colonial medicine. Comparisons help the appreciation of historical and geographic differences, and this is why the course explores the history of medicine across Europe and takes into account the input of non-western medical systems.
The work of the course is spread over 32 weeks. This includes seven ‘reading weeks’ which provide a chance to catch up on work and prepare assignments. There are seven tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) that begin very simply (with short analyses of images and a text) and work up to long essays using material from across the course. The questions in the final three-hour examination are of similar forms.
Images and material culture are now at the centre of medical historians’ research. In addition to exploring a variety of written sources, you will engage with a range of visual materials. Videos will show and discuss the history of the buildings and spaces used for medical practice. The CD-ROM will help you to analyse still images to make sense of the changing perceptions of the body and the portrayal of patients and practitioners. You will learn how to ’read‘ buildings, objects and images to gain new insight into medicine in the past.
The course develops not only an understanding of the key features of the social history of medicine in Europe between 1500 and 1930, but also the skills to work independently; to evaluate and use primary and secondary source materials; to write essays; and to think critically about the work of historians. These skills will equip you for a wide range of studies at Level 3.
If you would like more information about this course you can visit the A218 website which includes further details about the course content, samples of course materials, extracts from the CD-ROM, and frequently asked questions.
Entry
You are not expected to have any prior knowledge of medicine and its history, or any computing skills. All medical terms and ideas will be explained within the course, and there is a comprehensive tutorial in the operation of the CD-ROM.
You are not expected to have taken any other Open University courses before this one. Nevertheless, it is a Level 2 course and builds on the Level 1 course The arts past and present (AA100). AA100 develops study skills such as logical thinking, clear expression, essay writing and the ability to select and interpret relevant material. It also offers an introduction to all eight disciplines in the Arts Faculty and to interdisciplinary work. Your regional or national centre will be able to tell you where you can see reference copies of AA100, or you can buy selected materials from Open University Worldwide Ltd.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. We particularly recommend doing so if you have neither taken AA100 nor done equivalent work at another university.
Preparatory work
It would be useful to read the set text The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, R. Porter, Fontana Press. If you have not previously taken an Open University arts course, we advise you to read The Arts Good Study Guide, E. Chambers and A. Northedge, The Open University.
Qualifications
A218 is an optional course in our
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03)
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03) (with History of Science, Technology and Medicine)
- BA (Honours) History (B01)
- BA/BSc (Honours) European Studies (B10)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Health Studies (B17)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Health and Social Care (B18)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is suitable for a BA. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
One of the aims of this course is to utilise the rich heritage of visual imagery available to students in the history of medicine. One of the learning outcomes for this course is for students to develop their ability to analyse visual sources e.g. a poor quality nineteenth-century print of a public surgical procedure. Alternative arrangements can be made for blind and severely visually impaired students who experience difficulty in achieving this learning outcome. Visually impaired students have successfully completed the course. Students who have a background in the study of images gained whilst usefully sighted may be able to draw upon this experience in interpreting such images. Students are able to magnify CD-ROM images within the limits of standard computer applications, but no textual descriptions or alternative formats of images will be available and the use of a sighted assistant to interpret images would conflict with the required learning outcome. Blind and visually impaired students are encouraged to contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for advice before registering for this course.
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and where applicable: musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. The course materials area vailable on audio in DAISY Digital Talking Book format. Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, audio CDs, DVD, CD-ROM, course website.
You will need
Television, DVD and audio CD players.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Porter, Roy The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Fontana Press £19.99 - ISBN 9780006374541
- Elmer, P & Grell, O (eds) Health, Disease and Society in Europe, 1500-1800: A source book, Manchester University Press £16.99 - ISBN 9780719067372
- Brunton, D (ed) Health, Disease and Society in Europe, 1800-1930: A source book, Manchester University Press £16.99 - ISBN 9780719067396
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2011. It will be available again in October 2011. We then expect it to be available once a year, in October.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities, Health and Social Care and Science.
Study explained
- Course
- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
This was a good course, but definitely a game of two halves. The course covers a huge time-span and as ...
Read more
Absolutely loved this course. Very good, interesting materials. I had no knowledge of medicine whatsoever and still managed to do ...
Read more
Course satisfaction survey
See the satisfaction survey results for this course.
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
Browse the prospectus
Request a print prospectus
Share
This PageThe University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.