Music and Medicine

Overview

This module will discuss the role of music in cultural narratives of healing since the antiquity and the applications of music and music technology in medicine and health sciences. The course will draw on the fields of music and medical humanities, neuroscience and neuropsychology, music psychology and music therapy, and music technology and health sciences. Topics may include music and the human body and mind; histories of music and sound therapies; music and sound in cultural narratives of healing; music and health technologies in the contexts of stroke, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s disease and autism spectrum disorder; and music, pandemics, and public health.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module students will be able to: 1. Think critically about the role of music in contemporary society, and in relation to concepts and methods for individual and collective wellbeing.
2. Consider and situate music within the web of interdisciplinary research and art, and within the cross-disciplinary network of arts and sciences.
3. Reflect on both scholarly and applied aspects of music.

Skills

1. Critical thinking and listening
2. Expanded study on music humanities
3. Evaluation of interdisciplinary fields and sources
4. Research project development
5. Essay writing
6. Application of ideas to other modules and work placement

Assessment

None