Medicine, Society, and Culture Concentration

Students collaborating together.

The Medicine, Society, and Culture concentration of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities master’s degree is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative designed to provide students the opportunity to explore aspects of health and illness from multiple perspectives. 

Scholars, policymakers, caregivers, and patients all increasingly recognize the complex interplay of factors that affect actual well-being as well as our understanding of the concept. At the individual, family, community, national and global levels, influences ranging from religion and history to psychology and economics all can play prominent roles in whether people live or die, become sick or recover, accept treatment or avoid it, and so forth.

The Medicine, Society, and Culture concentration of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities MA degree program provides students an engaging and rigorous blend of foundational coursework, rich practical experiences, and an extraordinary array of elective opportunities. These electives allow students to concentrate on areas of particular interest, whether they be in health policy, law, social work or other discipline offered at Case Western Reserve.

This two-semester, 30-credit degree program includes two foundations courses required of all candidates for the Master of the Arts degree (MA) in bioethics and medical humanities. In addition, the MSC program includes a foundation course within the concentration, and students earn credit for two clinical rotations. Finally, they take three electives: one in the humanities, one in social sciences, and one of their choosing from a list of eligible offerings across the university.

Learn more from our most recent Medicine, Society, and Culture Webinar