UNDERSTANDING CARING THROUGH ARTS AND MEDICINE ELECTIVE COURSE, UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH ,COLLEGE OF MEDICINE APPROACH

Interest in the arts and medical humanities has led to heightened awareness of the role that the arts can play in medical sciences education. The study of arts and humanities can provide much of the context, values and meanings necessary to counterbalance the relentless reductionism of the biomedical sciences, which relay on knowledge that enhances the order and predictability of diagnosis, investigation and treatment. It helps medical students to be able to relate their studies and practices to “real people” and to their lived experiences of health, illness, disease, disability, death, suffering or recovery. This paper describes such an experience; an innovative 3 credit hours , elective course “arts and medicine” taken by 35 students at medical and health sciences campus at the University of Sharjah, , UAE; (fall/spring semesters). The core objectives of the course are to develop the Medical and health sciences students' awareness of the spiritual and humanistic components of healthcare, to encourage their curiosity about the human condition along with skepticism about the nature of medical “truth”; and to model acceptable moral behaviors. Through their exposure to the various movies which chosen very carefully , to dramatically depict complex ethical, professional, psychological and /or clinical problems that help students to explore and discuss the many aspects of the ethics of healthcare.