This Medical Humanities course invites reflection about the contradiction inherent in human contact: on the one hand, we need it in order to flourish, while on the other hand, it poses potential risks. Informed by a theoretical framework that draws on insights from fields such as Disability Studies, Cultural Studies, and Gender Studies, this course offers the opportunity to analyze German literature depicting contagious outbreaks, life in isolation, and explore the ethics of cure and human experimentation.

1. Introduction
2. Timeline: Cholera Spreading in New York
3. Consumptive Beauty and Fragile Femininity by Annabella Boardman
4. Visual Metaphors and Illness by Veronica Bochenek
5. Personal Experiences of Illness Seen Through the Lens of Cultural Metaphors by Kent Chen
6. Outbreaks and Fear, Outbreaks of Fear by Ray Craig
7. Illness and Isolation by Vanessa T Levy
8. Seeing Time, Seeing Pain by Kristina Stallvik
9. Eric Zhang