Spirituality, Religion and Culture in Healthcare

This is the first course in a series of four.   You may take one, two, three or all the courses; the content of each course is independent. However, intentional integration of the content from all the courses provides a fuller and deeper understanding of Health Humanities.

Introduction to Health Humanities I: Spirituality, Religion and Culture in Healthcare


• Perspectives on diversity and commonality.
• The role of spirituality, religion and culture in meaning-making.     
• How spirituality, religion and culture can affect healthcare. 
• Questions to explore the patient’s spiritual, religious and cultural needs. 

This series of courses provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Health Humanities. It considers the unique contributions, approaches and resources that the humanities and arts bring to healthcare. The courses discuss basic methodological issues such as the differences between the health sciences and health humanities, fundamental concepts such as human dignity and personhood, and core philosophical questions such as materialism and biomedical reductionism, mind-body dualism, and the meaning and mystery of being human. The courses introduce biomedical or healthcare ethics and its primary principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. Topics related to spirituality and illness are investigated, including the meaning of human suffering and mortality, end-of-life issues and ethical care of the dying, and hope. The courses are concerned throughout to develop compassion and empathy as essential skills in human health care.

Continuing Education Credits/Units (CEUs)

Earn a total of 12 free CEUs from AHIMA, three per course. Additionally, these free MOOCs are eligible for CEUs in the areas of social work and nursing in the state of Minnesota and may be eligible in those areas in other states.  Please refer to your state association's guidelines.