Imagining The Other

Loss, death and bereavement are three of the most extreme and difficult experiences anyone faces. Such experiences are inevitable for everyone and if we have not yet lost loved ones, we certainly will in the future.  For doctors and other health and social care workers these complex phenomena must be confronted, sometimes on a daily basis.

This has seldom been more true than in 2020 when the Covid 19 pandemic has asked so much of all of us and of health and social care workers worldwide in particular.

While the events of 2020 have brought loss, bereavement and death closer to home, it has also seen a surge in book buying and reading. There is and always has been a rich literature addressing the perennially important issues of death, loss and bereavement across time and across cultures. How does it feel to face your own death, and what drives people to chronicle this experience in writing? What can reading such works tell us about the human urge to communicate, and to leave a record of oneself behind? For those facing the loss of a loved one, how can life go on after death, and can anything positive emerge from this? Can there be humour in death, and how and why does loss sometimes lead to renewed creativity?

This module uses primarily textual representations of loss, death and bereavement (fiction, memoir, plays, poetry) to explore these key issues. The multidisciplinary teaching team also use materials from the visual arts, social history and clinical literature to generate a holistic understanding of the key issues. We will examine how and in what way, engagement with the course materials can help us understand the experiences of others i.e., to what extent can of us really “imagine the other”. The following indicative course content will be covered:

• Death and Bereavement: an introduction
• The Process of Dying
• Death as a Rite of Passage
• Doctors and Death
• Pandemics and the differences they make
• Loss and Recovery

For more information, please see The full module specification

2026 Course Schedule

Provisional dates for 2026 will begin on 3 November 2026. Classes will take place on Mondays at 6:30 pm.

Please contact pec@sgul.ac.uk to register your interest.

Who is it for?

Clinical staff, including nurses, allied health professionals and medical staff. The module is offered at both Level 6 and Level 7, entry admission requirements will be vary depending on the level applied for.

Benefits

In this module, medical humanities is taught to a deliberately, mixed cohort of students from different academic disciplines.

Students joining through the short course route will join a class comprising current students studying for their degree courses at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, City St George’s or the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. For external students joining the module, it is a unique opportunity to experience trans-disciplinary learning.

The module provides a reflective space for students to consider their own understanding of these important aspects of the human condition and to develop a broader and deeper understanding through engagement with literary texts (fiction, memoir, plays, poetry) supplemented by relevant clinical insights. The course materials are chosen with the mixed student group in mind as well as their relevance to the diverse communities in the UK. Students are guided through the module by an experienced, committed team of teaching staff from a range of academic disciplines and practitioner backgrounds.

If you take the course you will:

• Develop a complex understanding of experiences of loss, death and bereavement, as well as the positive potential of recovery.
• Be better prepared for your future life and career by enhancing the imaginative understanding of others in crisis, including through compassion and empathy.

Teaching

The module will start on Monday 3 November and run for six weeks (for level 6) or seven weeks (for level 7). Teaching will take place online on a Monday evening from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on:

• 1,000 words of reflective writing (0%) and
• 3,000-word essay (100%).

Certification

You will be provided a university transcript upon successful completion of the Level 6 or Level 7, 15 credit module.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

To apply for this course, please follow these steps:

1. Check Eligibility: Ensure you meet any prerequisites or eligibility criteria mentioned.
2. Fill in the Application Form: Please note that this course may be taken at Level 6 (Undergraduate) or Level 7 (postgraduate). Ensure that you select the appropriate level:
   1. Apply for Level 6
   2. Apply for Level 7
3. Payment: Once your application has been approved, you will be contacted with payment instructions.
4. Confirmation: After submitting your application and payment, you should receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this, please check your spam/junk folder. Keep this for your records.
5. Prepare for the Course: Review any pre-course materials or requirements provided in the confirmation email.

If applying for this module, you MUST state the Module Title and Course Code in the personal statement tab. Without this we will be unaware of what module you are applying for and will delay your application decision.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, consider contacting the course provider directly through the contact information available on the website.

Applications are invited from interested students regardless of their academic background.

Material used on the course are accessible to those with either a clinical background or a background in arts and humanities. Some students will have both. We aim to provide an opportunity for all students to reflect on diverse understandings of death, bereavement and loss and to learn from each other as much as from the more didactic elements of the course.

The module is offered at both Level 6 and Level 7. Admission requires completion of the application form and submission of a 500 word application.

• Why you want to do the course
• What you will bring to it
• What you hope to get out of it

If you have any questions, you can contact us at pec@sgul.ac.uk

English requirements

Candidates must meet City St George’s requirements for English language proficiency.