Novels, biopics, auto/pathographies and poems: exploring the value of health humanities within an undergraduate social sciences-based health studies milieu

In my professional capacity, I am a lecturer for a social sciences-based, undergraduate health studies course in the UK. In my private, personal time, I enjoy contributing and consuming creative writing outputs; I write the column ‘synfyfyrion llenyddol’ (literary musings) for Y Clawdd, a Welsh-medium community newspaper. In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in outputs which convey people’s private health experiences - from the fictionalised accounts in novels, poems, soap opera storylines and films, through to the non-fictionalised biopics and auto/pathograhies. I have also recently begun contributing to this genre myself, based on my own health experiences.
It is now well established that the medical humanities can make a positive contribution to medical education. However, in the 21st century, the health humanities have emerged, providing a broader disciplinary scope and paradigmatic approach to the various outputs and artefacts. This presents us, in the field of social science-based health studies, with an opportunity to explore the value which these outputs can bring to the study of health within our field of enquiry. In this paper, I bring together my public interests in pursuing pedagogic excellence in the field of social science-based health studies, with my private, personal interests in the more literary genres. I explore the ways in which my knowledge of each can complement each other, and help to build engaging pedagogic practice, enriching the experiences of my students.