Courses

These are the classes I am taking this fall, and my schedule explaining how they fit in! I should say that I am a very visual and hands-on learner, so classes with heavy reading and lectures don't usually go well for me!


My Schedule:

Monday/Thursday

• 1:15-2:35 Medical Ethics
• 2:50-4:10 Medical Exploration of HIV/AIDS
• 4:25-5:45 Complexity of Cancer

Tuesday/Friday

• 11:40-1:00 Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy in Denmark
• 3:30-5:30 Human Health and Disease (Medical Practice and Policy core class)

What I think of my classes (click on the title to go to the DIS course page!):

First of all, you would absolutely never be able to get the kind of experience I am getting at DIS at any undergraduate university in the US. Absolutely not. Yes, some schools have cadavers and others have fabulous medical programs, but at DIS I have spoken with patients, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and medical professionals that have years of experience, as well as learn about specific diseases and their treatments, write medical reports and practice diagnostics. I am very grateful for this experience.

Medical Ethics

• The professor for this class sits on the medical ethics board for Denmark and deals with real patient cases every week. She has taught in the US and knows how American students function, and always has a lesson plan for the day. She is on top of her ideas and keeps the class on track - not once have we argued over an ethical issue, and there are 22 of us! At first we learned ethical theory, then studied the principles of medical ethics, and now we are focusing on patient cases. Definitely a good class to get your mind thinking and learn how to defend your beliefs.

Medical Exploration of HIV/AIDS

• This class is heavily based in the science of HIV and how the disease affects the body. If you don't love cell biology and disease diagnostics, don't take it. I think it's good experience to learn about HIV and AIDS since it is a major issue in today's world, and the class definitely gives good information. Both professors work on HIV/AIDS research at the University Hospital in Copenhagen and know what they are talking about.

Complexity of Cancer

• If you come to DIS and are interested in medicine, take this class. I mean it. The professors are two oncologists and when they aren't teaching, they're treating patients. Their lectures are great, the information is always supported with case studies, and every question you ask will be answered. This is hands down my favorite class. It's completely worth having class until 5:45 for! You learn about staging cancer, different types, and treatment options. Then you put all your knowledge to work with case studies! Absolutely fabulous class.

Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy in Denmark

• This class should have prerequisites of a year of biology or human anatomy. It is a very science-based class and I honestly don't think a year of psychology will do you any good getting through th readings and tests. You learn the physical nature of labor and delivery, development and testing during pregnancy, as well as about the infant and child development. So far we have reached labor and delivery, and it is an interesting class. I am fascinated by the subject so most of the information I already knew, but if it weren't for my two years of human anatomy I would be struggling. You really have to have a desire to learn about the human body when pregnant. This is not a psych class, it is definitely a biology-based course! Good information for medically-focused students though!

Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach

• My core class! I am in section F and we traveled to Berlin and Poznan, Poland. I highly recommend this section because you can travel to Stockholm very easily, Berlin has fabulous hospitals to visit, and Poland is highly underrated. My two professors are wonderful! They make sure everyone knows the information, are always clear about what we need to know and how we should remember it (they make us acronyms!). I love going to class, even if it does go until 5:30 on Fridays. It's something you have to accept with the MPP core class - it will be in the late afternoon. I love my hospital too, it's north of the city and we can go into all of the units to talk to doctors, they are all very friendly! This program is why I chose DIS and I don't regret my decision at all. It is organized and well thought out. The professors are real doctors so they know what you should learn at this point in your education and what you are interested in. They are great!

So those are my classes! I hope you enjoyed reading what I think of them and how they are going. Feel free to ask me any other questions, as you can see I don't mind writing a lot!