IDS 190:
History and Philosophy of Nursing
Meeting time: 9:40 to 10:55 Monday and
Wednesday
Content:
What does it mean to be a nurse? What is the nursing role in health care? What
is the expreise that nurses bring to health care? Throughout the history of modern nursing,
nurses have engaged these philosophical questions. Their answers shaped how nurses established
their educational systems and professional status, influencing both the state
of nursing today and the challenges it faces.
In this course, we will trace the
history of nursing and explore how philosophical questions about nursing were
answered in the context of the growth of heath care institutions (like
hospitals and public health departments), the changing roles of women, and—especially
in the United States—the dynamics of race.
Readings will be drawn from historical studies of nursing and health
care, such as Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale and D’Antonio’s American
Nursing, from historical writings of nurses, such as Nightingale’s Notes
on Nursing and Henderson’s The Nature of Nursing, as well as
contemporary work by nursing theorists and philosophers.
Required
Texts:
D’Antonio, Patricia (2010). American Nursing: A
History of Knowledge, Authority, and the Meaning of Work
Nighingale, Florence (859). Notes on Nursing: What
it is and What it is Not
Other readings available on Course Reserves.
Grading
Details (Assignments and/or Tests/Exams)
Grades will be based on class participation, regular
short writing assignments, and a final portfolio of revised and expanded versions
of the short writing assignments.