Undergraduate Minors

A stock photo of a man cultivating tomatoes. A stock photo of a man cultivating tomatoes.

Enhance Your Major With A Minor

The University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences offers two undergraduate minor program which complement the Global Health Studies undergraduate major. Adding a minor to your undergraduate degree results in an enriching education experience and a competitive edge in the job market. Please note: Courses counting for the minor may not also count towards the major.

Accordion Group

Open All Tabs
  • Medical Humanities

    Credits: 15 Credit Hours

    Introduction

     medical-humanitiesThe minor in Medical Humanities offers students the chance to explore the practice and science of medicine from the perspective of the humanities, and to engage with the history and cultural significance of medicine and health from ancient times to today. Students will learn that medicine and health are variously considered a science, an art, and a calling, and be able to situate themselves in a profession that spans from antiquity to the modern era of biotechnology.

    The minor has a liberal arts orientation and provides an interdisciplinary humanities curriculum that incorporates literature, philosophy, ethics, history, religion, women and gender studies, theater, film, and visual arts. The minor complements majors from all humanities, social science, and physical science disciplines and is particularly suited to students interested in careers in public health, medicine, the health sciences, health care management, and (non-)governmental organizations.

    Educational Objectives

    • Understand the history, philosophy, practice, and religious roots of the medical sciences.
    • Explore issues of debate within medicine from an ethical and humanistic perspective.
    • Articulate how and where the humanities enrich and lend perspective to the medical field.
    • Recognize and understand the complexity and necessity of engaging with narratives in the medical field.
    • View the practice of medicine as the integration of science and humanities.

    Requirements

    Students will complete 15 credit hours with courses approved for the minor in Medical Humanities, which satisfies the general education cognate requirement for Arts and Humanities. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in each course and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in all courses counting toward the minor.
    • Students must complete 2 of the 4 core courses listed below.
    • At least 6 credit hours must be taken at the 300 level or higher
    • No more than 6 credit hours may be applied to the minor from a single department.
    • One elective is permitted from those courses eligible for the minor in Social Science & Medicine.

    Advising

    For more information, please visit the Academic Bulletin or email the program advisor for the Medical Humanities, Dr. Catherine Newell, particularly if you have inquiries about credit for courses not listed below, such as Special Topics offerings, etc.  Click here to see eligible courses offered in the upcoming semester.

    Required Courses (select 2 of 4)

    REL 161 Religion and Medicine
    Explores the role of personal religious beliefs and faith in health care, healing, and the biomedical sciences.

    CLA 233 Ancient Medicine
    A historical survey of evidence, practices, and ideas from the ancient medical world, with focus on the intersection of medicine and philosophy, medicine and religion, and medicine and rhetoric.

    HIS 223 Medicine and Society: From the Ancient World to the 21st Century
    A historical survey of the development of western medicine and public health from prehistory to the present.

    PHI 334 Biomedical Ethics
    Ethical dimensions of clinical practice and larger social justice concerns as they relate to health care.

    Elective Courses

    CLA 222 Sexuality and Gender in the Ancient World
    Basic questions of sexuality and gender in ancient Greece and Rome.

    CLA 225 Ancient Magic
    A broad sweep of evidence for magic and the occult in the ancient Mediterranean world with focus on occult arts such as divination, daemonology, astrology, and alchemy.

    CLA 231 Sciences in Ancient Greece and Rome
    The beginnings of scientific investigation in ancient Greece and its development and codification under the Roman Empire.

    ENG 240 Literature and Medicine
    Examines ultimate questions in medicine asked by patients, doctors, and disease through literature: fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction. Also explores the literary uses to which medicine can be put

    HIS 330 Scientific Revolution
    Investigates the changing ways in which Europeans understood the natural world in the transformative period from 1500 to 1800.

    HIS 351 Science and Society
    Addresses major questions about the relationship between science and society from prehistory to the present.

    PHI 546 Evidence and Knowledge in Medicine
    Basic methodologies in medicine in the context of philosophical theories of evidence.

    REL 252 Religion and Human Sexuality
    The relationship between religious concepts and sexual values as the Judeo-Christian tradition confronts contemporary sexual ethics and behavior.

    REL 351 Religious Issues in Death and Dying
    Consideration of the teachings of major religious traditions about death and the nature of the dying process, with attention to the students’ personal experiences with and attitudes toward death.

    REL 352 Religion and Science
    Examines the religious and ethical issues created by modern science and technology.

    REL 360 Religion and Bioethics
    An interdisciplinary approach to biomedical ethics that integrates our understanding of medical issues with philosophical and religious reflection and public policy considerations.

    REL 451 Ethics and Genetics
    Examines the relationship and interaction between scientific/technological progress and religious/ethical values.

    THA 108 Intro to Standardized Patient Simulation
    Support interactive clinical training through standardized patient simulation, i.e. healthy people trained to realistically portray a specific patient's history, subtext, personality, physical infirmities, and emotional states.

    WGS 315 Gender, Race, and Class
    How scientific practice, political systems, and popular media shape our thinking about gender, race, and class.

    WGS 347 Issues in Reproductive Medicine
    Social, economic, political, legal, religious, philosophical, and psychological aspects of the global reproductive medicine industry and related genetic technologies.

    WGS 420 Interpreting Bodies
    Uses anthropological and feminist perspectives to explore how bodies communicate many intriguing and significant ideas about societies and the individuals that comprise them.

  • Social Science and Medicine

    Credits: 15 Credit Hours

    Introduction

    social-science-and-medicine‌The minor in Social Science & Medicine offers students the chance to explore social and behavioral aspects of medicine and health care through the social sciences. The medical social sciences are broadly relevant to many private and public service disciplines, and highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary platform for the empirical and theoretical interaction of social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers.

    The minor has a liberal arts orientation and provides an interdisciplinary Social Sciences curriculum that incorporates anthropology, communication, economics, epidemiology, geography, global health, international studies, policy, psychology, and sociology. The minor complements majors from all humanities, social science, and physical science disciplines and is particularly suited to students interested in careers in public health, medicine, the health sciences, health care management, and (non-)governmental organizations.

    Educational Objectives

    • Understand various social, cultural, geographic, economic, and political determinants of health and well-being. 
    • Describe the influence and implications of these determinants on health behaviors, beliefs and outcomes. 
    • Locate and appraise appropriate sources of information relevant to public health and medicine.
    • Recognize how governmental and private-sector health policies affect patient and population health. 
    • View public health and medical practice as the integration of the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences.

    Requirements

    Students will complete 15 credit hours with courses approved for the minor in Social Science & Medicine, which satisfies the general education cognate requirement for People and Society. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in each course and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in all courses counting toward the minor.
    • Students must complete 2 of the 3 core courses listed below.
    • At least 6 credit hours must be taken at the 300 level or higher
    • No more than 6 credit hours may be applied to the minor from a single department.
    • One elective is permitted from those courses eligible for the minor in Medical Humanities.

    Advising

    For more information, please visit the Academic Bulletin or email the Director of Global Health Studies, Dr. Herns Marcelin, particularly if you have inquiries about credit for courses not listed below, such as Special Topics offerings, etc.  Click here to see eligible courses offered in the upcoming semester.

    Required Courses (select 2 of 3)

    APY 413 Medical Anthropology
    Cross-cultural and historical perspectives on health and illness in human evolution.

    GEG 241 Health & Medical Geography
    Ecological, social, and spatial approaches to human health and health care services.

    SOC 384 Medical Sociology
    Sociological aspects of health, health care, patient behavior, and medical institutions.

    Elective Courses

    College of Arts & Sciences
    APY 105 HIV: Sex, Science, and Society 
    APY 205 Medicine, Health Care in Society  
    APY 416 Bioarchaeology: Peopling the Past
    APY 423 Paleopathology: Health & Disease in Ancient Peoples  
    APY 512 Advanced Medical Anthropology 
    ECO 386 Health Economics
    GEG 335 Sustainable Food Systems
    GEG 341 Population, Health, and Environment
    GEG 343 Population, Sustainability, and the Media
    GEG 345 Drinking Water: Past, Present, and Future 
    GEG 346 Immigrant & Refugee Health
    GEG 348 Climate Change & Public Health
    GEG 412 GIS for Health & Environment
    INS 509 International Migration and the Health Care System
    INS 570 Globalization and Health
    INS 571 International Development and Human Welfare
    INS 572 Global Health Policy and Ethics 
    INS 573 Disasters, Terrorism, and Global Public Health
    POL 536 U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies
    PSY 411 Relationships and Health
    PSY 426 Health Psychology
    SOC 320 Social Epidemiology: Illness & Death in Society
    SOC 321 Applied Health Policy
    SOC 345 Population and Society
    SOC 368 Violence in America 
    SOC 375 Sociology of Mental Health and Illness 
    SOC 377 Sociology of Drug Abuse
    SOC 381 Aging in Society
    SOC 480 Health Disparities in the U.S.

    School of Communication
    CIM 471 Social Impact Games
    COS 324 Health Communication 
    COS 325 Communication in Health Organizations
    COS 426 Patient-Provider Communication
    COS 427 Health Behavior and Risk

    School of Nursing and Health Studies
    BPH 206 / HCS 206 Introduction to Public Health
    BPH 208 Introductory Epidemiology
    BPH 301 Human Sexuality & Vulnerable Populations
    BPH 305 / HCS 305 Issues in Health Disparities
    BPH 309 Health & Environment
    BPH 310 / HCS 310 Global Health 
    BPH 317 Theories in Growth and Development
    BPH 321 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
    BPH 322 Introduction to Health Policy

    School of Business Administration
    HSM 270 Introduction to Health Sector Organization and Management
    HSM 310 Population Health
    HSM 320 Health Care Demand and Supply

Top