Why Lancaster?
- Discover the latest innovations and research insights in global medical and health humanities
- Develop critical, creative and cross-disciplinary approaches to health and medical challenges in global contexts
- Work with an interdisciplinary team with world-leading expertise in a diverse range of health research settings across the arts, humanities, and social sciences
- Learn global leadership skills that will equip you to navigate difficult decision-making
- Develop a practical and future-orientated understanding of how change is made
- Immerse yourself in Lancaster’s distinctive, collaborative environment
How can the humanities play a part in creating an inclusive, trans-cultural and global healthcare that is fit for the future? Our innovative master’s in Global Medical and Health Humanities starts at the forefront of existing knowledge and practices in medical and health environments around the world. Join us as we expand these boundaries through new knowledge and collaborative leadership.
Cutting-edge approaches to well-being, illness, and healthcare
The medical and health humanities are fast-evolving, interdisciplinary fields that marshal expertise in arts, humanities and social sciences to tackle healthcare challenges and drive positive future change.
The key values informing this exciting new field of study are interdisciplinarity, criticality, collaboration, and creativity. Through a range of team-taught modules that draw on the theories, methodologies and practices of humanities subjects, you will explore and address some of the major health and medical issues facing the world today and have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge health innovation.
These might range from addressing inequalities within health, exploring the need to create inclusive and diverse hospital environments, or engaging with difficult and sensitive issues such as sites of trauma, poverty and environmental crisis in healthcare settings.
You will develop critical and cross-cultural approaches to explore such areas as:
- Narratives and artistic expressions of mental health, illness and pain
- Sites of health activism and intervention
- The collaborative design of future spaces such as inclusive environments and hospitals fit for purpose
- The provision of health advocacy
- The de-colonisation of health, moving beyond Eurocentric, Anglophone perspectives
- Sustainability in healthcare
- Critical Disability Studies
- LGBTQIA+ healthcare
- Global histories of medicine and healthcare
Collaboration in practice
This master’s course is one of a series of four interconnected courses that have a common ethos and structure.
You’ll take part in subject-specific modules designed to build in-depth knowledge of global medical and health humanities. You’ll assess, engage in and create responses to real world issues.
In studio modules you’ll work collaboratively with other course participants on live community briefs, connecting Lancaster’s research with local healthcare environments and analysing global healthcare issues.
For some modules, you’ll join with students from other master’s cohorts on projects that will develop your leadership skills – using generative, collaborative thinking to create innovative solutions that are relevant to diverse external stakeholders.
Working with students from our other cohorts will bring you into contact with those specialising in global sustainability and the environment, AI, and global affairs. You’ll experience the benefits that harnessing skills and knowledge from diverse groups and subjects can bring.
You’ll have the opportunity to tailor your final project to draw on your academic, personal or professional experience and research ambitions. For example, if you are passionate about dis/ableism, representations of mental health in art practices or LGBTQI+ healthcare environments, you can explore these and many other topics during the course.
A range of innovative assessment types will give you the freedom to represent your chosen topic creatively and persuasively.
Leadership for the future of the world
With its dedicated leadership module, this course prepares you for a future as a collaborative change-maker. The course challenges traditional views of leadership. It adopts an understanding of inclusive leadership that is grounded in critical, creative and collaborative skills - a holistic and humanistic way of thinking.
By taking this interdisciplinary approach and engaging in the discourses of leadership ethics, you’ll be equipped to perform whatever role you take to bring about positive change.
You’ll benefit from the rich, collaborative environment in health innovation and research at Lancaster, being able to participate actively in research events and opportunities provided by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Health Hub and the Queer Medical Humanities Network, as well as, beyond the Faculty, the health research ecosystem hosted at Lancaster's Health Innovation Campus.
Flexible study options
Study while continuing your career by taking this course on a part-time basis. Running over two years, you would take the following core modules each year:
- Year 1: Navigating, Applied Learning Studio 1, and Global Leadership
- Year 2: Applied Learning Studio 2 and MA Project
We would liaise with you over your choice of optional modules and your schedule, so that you can successfully balance your work and other commitments alongside the master’s programme.
