Dean's Corner: Health and the Liberal Arts
In every conversation about health, there is a clear throughline: the need to understand people in all their complexity. It is here where the liberal arts shine.
Understanding how race, class, language, culture, and history shape health outcomes is essential to building a more equitable and effective healthcare system. Through our teaching, research, and community partnerships, we are preparing students to become thoughtful, empathetic leaders in a wide range of health-related fields.
In this month’s Alma Matters, you will find powerful examples of how the liberal arts offer a broad and enduring foundation for addressing today’s health challenges. You will:
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Meet students in our music therapy program who are bringing comfort and healing to patients through sound.
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Read about the minor in medical Spanish, which prepares students to engage with Spanish-speaking communities and improve access to care.
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Hear from sociologist Michael Esposito, whose work reveals the ways systemic racism leaves lasting marks on population health.
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Learn how our students build a strong liberal arts foundation for pre-health studies and beyond.
In addition, we highlight some of the many courses in CLA that explore health and well-being—from medical anthropology to disability studies to environmental health and ethics—showcasing the extraordinary breadth of ways our faculty and students engage with this critical issue.
As someone personally invested in the health humanities, I am proud to see our college embrace a holistic vision of health, one that recognizes the body, the mind, the community, and the systems in which we live and work. Learn more about my research and upcoming book project that explores literature, social science, and medicine: Introducing Dean GerShun Avilez.
Whether you are working in a health-related field, caring for loved ones, advocating for healthier communities, or just mindful about your own health, I hope you will find something in these stories that resonates with you and reminds you of the enduring value of a liberal arts education.
What does it mean to be healthy, and who gets to be well?
What does it mean to be healthy, and who gets to be well? In CLA, we believe health and wellness are shaped not only by science and medicine, but by history, language, culture, policy, and human connection. From sociology to Spanish, music therapy to medical ethics, CLA students and faculty are using the tools of the liberal arts to address complex public health challenges and improve well-being across communities.
