Overview
This is the introductory session for the ELM3 2026 Humanities Selectives, presented by Nicola Cummins (Associate Dean Academic) and Professor Tom McLean. It sets out why the selectives exist, how the course is structured and assessed, and closes with student feedback from previous cohorts illustrating the kind of experience the course aims to provide.
Purpose of the Humanities Selectives
The selectives exist to:
- Shed light on aspects of human culture, politics and history that are not addressed by the traditional scientific method
- Help students see the world, and the complexity of human experience, through a non-medical lens
- Teach creative forms of human expression and meaning-making
- Let students pursue a personal interest and broaden their horizons
- Expose students to the interpretative skills that characterise study in the humanities
The selective is a Terms requirement.
Course Format
- 19 topics offered
- Classes of 14-16 students
- Independent reading is required before tutorial 1
- Tutorials run 2 hours per week for 5 weeks (Wednesday 2-4pm or 4-6pm)
- Independent learning continues between tutorials
- Assessments are due by 7pm, Sunday 24th May, fulfilling the Terms requirement
Student Feedback
Feedback from previous ELM3 cohorts (2023 and 2025) emphasised:
- The course as a valued, non-medicine-focused addition to medical training that reconnected students with the enduring values underpinning medicine
- Specific praise for content on the history of healing and death in Ancient Greece and Rome as holding lessons for the future of healthcare
- Writing taught and experienced as a wellbeing practice, giving students a way to process thoughts free of pressure to produce a polished piece, seen as a skill to carry into clinical training and future practice
- Enjoyment of short weekly readings and of taking time to appreciate writing as a class
- Value in meeting students from other streams/years
- Overall high satisfaction, with students describing the teaching and experience as engaging and describing feeling sad when the course ended
Two handout recap pages (duplicate thumbnails of the earlier slides) were not separately transcribed as they contain no additional content.
Self-test
- List the five stated purposes of the Humanities Selectives.
- Describe the format of the Humanities Selectives, including class size, number of topics, tutorial length/frequency, and the assessment deadline.
- Why is the selective compulsory in terms of degree requirements?
- Summarise the main themes that recur across the student feedback quotes.
- Explain how one student described the value of writing as a wellbeing practice during the selective.
Answers
Reveal answers
- To shed light on aspects of human culture, politics and history not addressed by the traditional scientific method; to help students see the world and human experience through a non-medical lens; to teach creative forms of human expression and meaning-making; to let students pursue a personal interest and broaden their horizons; and to expose students to the interpretative skills characteristic of humanities study.
- 19 topics are offered, in classes of 14-16 students. Tutorials run 2 hours per week for 5 weeks (Wednesday 2-4pm or 4-6pm), with independent reading required before tutorial 1 and independent learning between tutorials. Assessments are due by 7pm on Sunday 24th May.
- It fulfils a Terms requirement, i.e. it is a compulsory component for meeting the course’s terms.
- Recurring themes include the selective offering a welcome non-medicine-focused perspective, reconnecting students with the underlying values of medicine, providing enjoyable and insightful short readings, giving space to appreciate writing and creative expression, and creating opportunities to meet students outside one’s usual stream.
- One student described writing during the selective as a wellbeing practice free from the pressure of the piece having to become anything to anyone, which let them get their thoughts out and see what they thought, a skill they intended to continue using to navigate future challenging times in clinical training and practice.