ENG

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu

Aside from being the most common cancer diagnosed and the second most deadliest cancer among US women, carcinoma of the breast is perhaps the most studied malignancy in human history. Although scientific advancements in treatment have been slow, women today have a 35% higher chance of surviving the disease than they did in 1990. Despite the 1 to 2 % decline in breast cancer’s mortality rate each year, the history of breast cancer and its treatment in the US reveals how profit and perceptions of women impede scientific research and treatment. Breast cancer culture in the US is synonymous with the pink ribbon and campaigns such as “Race for the Cure.” This culture was first critiqued by Barbara Ehrenreich in 2001 as infantilizing as well as demoralizing in its celebration of breast cancer as a cause for creative self-transformation and survival. Our class will investigate the truth of breast cancer through close reading of nonfiction accounts written by women poets in treatment. As Anne Boyer writes in The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2020, “…the truth must be written for someone, a someone who is all of us, all who exist in the push and pull of what bonds of love tie us to the earth and what suffering drives us from it.” We will look at how the bonds of love expressed in these texts can support breast cancer patients and their care as well as how these texts expose the suffering that is caused by gender and race bias in healthcare and society. Ultimately, we will examine how poetic creative nonfiction can hold a mirror up to a system and culture that might not otherwise see itself and by so doing, hold it accountable to a demand for change. 3 credits. Corequisites: None. Major Restrictions: None

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu

Burbling beakers, stacks of books, jars of strange creatures in formaldehyde, unruly hair and glasses, wide eyes, and a menacing grin. These familiar images of the mad scientist reveal our collective anxieties about scientific hubris— what happens when our scientific advancements outpace our humanistic ones. From Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to H.G. Well’s The Invisible Man to contemporary works like Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, this course examines how speculative and science fiction use the figure of the mad scientist to warn us of the dangers of scientific advancement if it is divorced from what makes us human, namely the social and moral bonds that hold us accountable. We are living in a time of great scientific advancements from artificial intelligence to genetic engineering, and so now, more than ever, we urgently need to reexamine the mad scientist to better understand how the actions of one could have devastating consequences for us all. Through close reading of literature whose protagonist is a mad scientist, students will “lift the cap off Dr. Finkelstien’s brain” to peer into the ethical dilemmas at the heart of scientific advancement. Critical essays, creative responses, and class discussions will foster thorough investigation of our collective responsibility in shaping the future. (3); Prerequisite: ENG 101 First Year Writing or equivalent.

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu

This course explores the practice and theory of narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary field that emphasizes the importance of storytelling in clinical care, patient experiences, and medical ethics. Students will examine how narratives shape our understanding of illness, disability, trauma, and healing, both within and beyond the clinical encounter. Through literature, memoir, autotheory, and medical case studies, we will analyze how stories can both humanize and dehumanize, heal and harm, depending on who tells them and how they are received. Storytelling in medicine is a powerful tool for personal healing and fostering empathy, as it allows individuals to make sense of their experiences, reclaim agency over their bodies, and find meaning in moments of vulnerability. For healthcare providers, engaging with narratives cultivates a deeper understanding of patients’ lived realities, bridging the gap between clinical objectivity and human connection, and ultimately leading to more compassionate, patient-centered care. Key themes include the ethics of representation, the role of narrative in patient-provider relationships, the politics of voice and silence in medicine, and the limitations of language in describing pain and the body. Readings may include comics, novels, art, nonfiction, stories, and contemporary patient narratives that challenge dominant

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu

This course offers a unique interdisciplinary approach, combining rigorous academic analysis with immersive studio practice. Students will examine the scientific evidence supporting expressive writing's health benefits through peer- reviewed literature one day a week while developing their own expressive writing practice through studio sessions the other day of the week. Students in this class will also integrate complimentary practices of mindfulness, awareness through movement, and restorative yoga to enhance expressive writing practice. The course explores health through a comprehensive bio-psycho-spiritual framework that recognizes our interconnectedness, and students will acquire facilitation skills to share these practices with others beyond the classroom. Throughout the semester, we will cultivate a supportive community that models the healing potential of collective engagement with expressive writing. By the end of this course, students will possess both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to implement expressive writing as a health-promoting practice in their own lives and communities. (3); Prerequisite:

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu

Headlines blur our daytime into thoughts of what is to come as a result of climate change, health crises, and political turmoil. Poets are often thought of as prophets in that they imagine the endgame of present-day scenarios. In their hands, connections between the environment, the body, and the body politic become visceral meditations that help us to understand what our greatest human strengths are so that we may be resilient to the precarity of existence. In this way, these texts are healing and aid in our imaginings of what a healthy relationship to the earth, to ourselves, and to one another could be. Through exploration of contemporary post-apocalyptic, post-colonial, and dystopian poetry books, and analysis of the literatures these books refer to, students in this class will better understand the importance of poetic tools such as metaphor and symbolism to build and communicate meaning. Students will write their own poetry as well as analysis of poetry to build and articulate connections between nature, health, and community to ultimately imagine their own definitions of health and wellness. (3)

Subject

ENG

Type

course

Edition

2026-2027

Source

www.acphs.edu