Submitted by: Dr Megan Wainwright, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
On Monday March 18, the University of Cape Town (UCT) launched its first free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC). What better news for the emergent field of medical humanities in Southern Africa than the selection of the course Medicine and the Arts as UCT’s first MOOC. Course conveners, Associate Professor Susan Levine (Anthropology) and Professor Steve Reid (Primary Health Care Directorate) are enabling thousands to join this unique course. In each of the six weekly classes, a medical practitioner, an artist, and a social scientist come together to discuss divergent perspectives on key phases of the life course and conceptualisations of health. Monday’s class began with the human heart. A heart transplant surgeon, an English literature academic and a man living with a transplanted heart, provide different perspectives on the nature and semantics of this charismatic organ. The good news is it is not too late to sign up and enjoy all six classes of this remarkable course. It is certainly an opportunity not to be missed!