As part of the Blast Courses in the Humanities, I taught this summer course with generous support from the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute (AGHI) at Johns Hopkins University.
Course Description:
How have Eastern and Western medicine perceived the body and disease differently? How do these different understandings of the body contribute to different approaches to diagnosis and treatments? How has “traditional” medicine in Asia evolved into “modern” traditional medicine? How can we experience Asian medicine at home and understand our bodies through Asian medical traditions? By the end of our five weeks, we will realize that Asian medicine is closer than we might think, and we will gain a new lens to understand our body and disease through Asian medical concepts.
We will begin by exploring foundational and profound concepts in medical traditions in Asia, such as qi, meridians, and yin-yang balance, through both modern and classical texts, as well as key treatments like acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine. However, we will also explore how Asian medical traditions have not remained static; they have evolved over time, been shaped into “modern” forms, traveled to the West, been adapted by diverse communities, and interacted with biomedicine.
Together, our course is not a one-way transmission of knowledge. Instead, both the instructor and students contribute to creating a more immersive, firsthand experience of Asian medicine. We will explore and experience Asian medicine in diverse ways—through personally recorded videos featuring interviews with practitioners, visits to contemporary clinics and herbal stores, and reconstructions of traditional medicinal tea recipes. You are also encouraged to share information about local traditional medicine practitioners, merchants, or teas from your own region to enrich our collective learning experience. Your contributions may be incorporated into our lectures, helping us deepen our understanding of local medical knowledge from around the world.
Landing Page for the Course
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LsBYJIpibu-nXhsGu49OAFkI1-3Mt6wJKsEWuYJTw3I/edit?usp=sharing
Promotional Video
Week 1.1 Herbs🌿
Week 1.2 Modern Traditional Medicine Clinic 🏥🌱
Week 2.1. Herb II🌱
Week 2.2. 🏥 Clinic, 🛍️ Market, and 🏛️ Museum I
Week 3.1. Acupuncture 🪡 and Moxibustion 🌿+🔥 I
Week 3.2. 🏥 Clinic, 🛍️ Market, and 🏛️ Museum II
Week 4.1. Acupuncture 🪡 and Moxibustion 🌿+🔥II
Week 4.2. 🌿 Modern Traditional Medicine in the Online Space 🌏📱