HS 4210F/G -Creative Healing: Art, Health, and Transformative Human Experiences
Instructor: Dr. Treena Orchard
E-Mail: torchar2@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Course Description
This is an advanced undergraduate course in health sciences
that explores how art, health, and the politics of daily life
intersect in qualitative research and other therapeutic contexts
to produce transformative human experiences. It provides an
in-depth overview of key theoretical and methodological
approaches employed in arts-based health research and allied
fields, including medical humanities, (dis)ability studies,
cultural studies, and Indigenous ways of knowing. The course
also examines how arts-based projects are applied in different
research and artistic settings, including creative writing,
dance, theatre, and film. Attentive to the intersecting issues of
race, gender, age, space, and the production of artistic and
health knowledge by various practitioners, it offers an
engaging pedagogical experience with many ‘real-world’
outcomes. Students are encouraged to exercise their creativity,
self-reflexivity, and scholarly desires in this rigorous,
rewarding course.
Prerequisites
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll
in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not
be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course
for failing to have the necessary prerequisites
Class Schedule and Format
The basic format for each class will be as follows: an overview of class objectives, interactive lecture by
myself, a break, group work, and class discussion. Although I am going to lecture and lead the discussions
of the assigned readings and some additional contextual information, students are strongly encouraged to
share their perspectives on the respective themes as much as possible.
Equity Statement
Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek (Ah-nish-in-a-bek),
Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-no-show-nee), Lūnaapéewak (Len-ahpay- wuk) and Chonnonton (Chun-ongk-
ton) Nations. Acknowledging this is part of reconciliation, along with including Indigenous experiences
and knowledge into the curriculum. Understanding the challenges and complex resilience among other
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racialized groups and communities is essential in all of my classes, which examine equity, diversity,
including, decolonization, and accessibility in meaningful ways.
Evaluation
Attendance 3%
Therapeutic Playlist- Due Oct. 8 27%
Photo Series- Due Nov. 12 30%
Final Project- Due Dec. 3 40%
ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WORD FORMAT.
Details
Class Attendance (3%)
In the School of Health Studies, each course instructor sets specific expectations for attendance and
participation that are specific to the course, teaching objectives, and learning outcomes. Regular
attendance is expected and essential for all courses, but particularly those that include
participation/attendance grades in their evaluation schemes. Students who miss classes, or parts of classes,
are responsible for the material they have missed. Instructors are not obliged to review the contents of
missed lectures.
Persistent absenteeism may have serious repercussions and may result in you failing this course. In this
course, the equivalent of 3 weeks of unexcused absences per term will be considered persistent
absenteeism. Persistent absenteeism will result in you being contacted by the instructor, who may request
a meeting. Continued absence after this point will be reported to the Undergraduate Chair and may result
in debarment from writing the final examination, and/or submitting the final course paper. In such a case,
you would receive a grade of zero on the evaluations from which you were debarred.
Therapeutic Playlist (27%)
Students will compile a playlist of 15 songs that generate a therapeutic outcome, whether it be feelings of
happiness, energy, or contemplation. Your list can focus on one or several outcomes. Each song must be
fully referenced (title, artist(s), release date, album if applicable, recording label) and described in one
paragraph that consists of 6-7 double-spaced sentences. Each paragraph must answer these questions:
(1) Is this a new song or an old favourite?
(2) How did you locate or learn about the song?
(3) When do you listen to the song?
(4) Where do you listen to the song?
(5) How did you decide where to put this song in the playlist? and
(6) What therapeutic effects does this song generate for you?
Estimated duration of assignment- 8 hours.
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Rubric- Reference (1 point); Questions 1-5 (1 point each); Question 6 (2 points). Each song paragraph is
marked out of 8 points.
Photo Series (30%)
Students will create a photo-driven assignment about the overlap of art and health, defined broadly, in
their everyday lives. The images of art and health can be combined or they can be grouped into discrete
themes under the headings of ‘art’ and ‘health.’ The organization is entirely up to you, but there must be
twenty images in total. The options are endless, including self-portrait, animals, fashion, domestic spaces,
music, wellness, social supports, emotional struggles, resilience, art galleries, nature, food, and so forth.
It’s okay to take pictures of other people if you ask their permission beforehand. The purpose of this
assignment is to encourage critical reflect on everyday experiences and environments as rich spaces of
both art and health. This re-envisioning exercise will also afford students the opportunity to apply some
of the theories, approaches and arts-based genres discussed in class. No additional research or references
are required and each photo will be discussed one paragraph of 7-8 double-spaced sentences. When
describing the photos answer the following questions:
(1) Where and when was the photo taken?
(2) Why did you take this image?
(3) How does this picture evoke or represent health and/or art?
(4) If you had to give a title to this image, what would it be?
The assignment will be organized in the following sections and headings:
Introduction – To the assignment and the themes to be featured (1 page)
The Photos- Organize them in a way that corresponds with the themes/content and describe each in 1
paragraph (15-20 double-spaced pages)
Conclusion- Re-introduce the themes and discuss how the assignment has shaped how you think
about health and art(s) in your everyday lives (1 page).
Estimated duration of assignment- 30 hours or 3-4 full working days
Rubric- Introduction (2 points); Twenty photos (I point per paragraph= 20 total points);
Conclusion (2 points). The assignment is marked out of 24 points.
Final Project (40%)
Students will each design a project that includes a written research and artistic component about a health-
related topic of their choosing. The research portion discusses the guiding theory, methodological
approach, and relevant literature that informs the topic/issue/genre at hand (20%). This part of the
assignment will be 8-9 double-spaced pages. The artistic component will compliment and overlap with
the ideas featured in the written portion and is worth the same as the written portion (20%). This part of
the assignment may be more or fewer pages than the written part, depending on the artistry/approach/issue
selected (i.e., songs, video clip with description, drawings, poetry, concept maps). A central principle of
this course is the validation of arts-based knowledge alongside more traditional, namely textual, ways of
recognizing ‘data’ or experiences that are worth counting. I encourage students to include qualitative,
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ethnographic research as well as more creative sources of information to enrich their projects. Although
the organization of this project is fluid, please use these basic headings for consistency:
Introduction -1.5 pages: Set up the topic, why it inspired you, and how it relates to the course aims.
RESEARCH HEADINGS/CONTENT
Theory- 1 page: Theoretical frameworks employed in the research studies explored, which are typically
featured in the Intro or methods section of research papers, sometimes the literature review too.
Methods- 1 page: The Methods employed in the research studies explored- photos, interviews, poetry, and
so forth.
Literature- 3 pages: An overview of the key issues and populations featured in the research studies you
have sourced. You can do it thematically or you can summarize a few of the studies themselves.
ARTISIC HEADINGS/CONTENT
Images, songs, photos, etc.- 7-10 pages: Please describe each artistic item featured in a paragraph or two.
Conclusion-1.5 pages : reiterate focus of the assignment, your experience doing it, what you learned about
art, health, and transformative human experiences, and how it ties into the course objectives.
References- 10-15: mainly academic, but popular culture references (blogs, YouTube, online magazines)
can be used sparingly.
The assignment will be between 15-20 double-spaced pages in length and students should meet with me
well in advance of the due date to ensure they are on the right track with their project. The Introduction
and Conclusion must include a discussion of how this topic fits within the course objectives and foci,
and how it has shaped students’ understandings of art, health, and different approaches to
therapeutic/transformative human experiences.
Estimated duration of assignment- 40 hours or 5 full working days
Rubric- Introduction (2 points), Written (10 points), Artistic (10 points); Conclusion (2 points). The
assignment is marked out of 22 points.
Grading scheme:
I use the format provided below for grading, which is the university-wide scale that has been approved by
the Western University Senate. It should also be noted that I DO NOT ROUND UP MARKS.
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable.
F below 50 Fail
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It is expected that the grades for this course will fall between a B to A- average. If the average falls outside
this range, a constant may be added (or subtracted) from each student’s grade, by the instructor, to bring
the class average in line with school policy. Although course averages in years 1 through 4 grades vary,
this is the normative breakdown of average grades/year:
Year 1: 68-72
Year 2: 70-74 (core) and 72-76 (elective)
Year 3: 72-76 (core) and 74-78 (elective)
Year 4: 74-80
Communicating with me
I work hard and protect my ‘me’ time and would like our communications to occur from Monday- Friday
(i.e., 8 am- 5pm). This is not to restrict your access to me; I’m just letting you know what my preferred
boundaries are. These timings also extend to our TA.
NAVIGATING OUR SITE ON BRIGHTSPACE
RESOURCES- ALL ARTICLES AND SOME SUPPLEMENTARY FILES OF INTEREST
LECTURE SLIDES- ALL SLIDES POSTED IN WORD
ANNOUNCEMENTS- I MAKE THEM OFTEN, SO PLEASE CHECK REGULARLY
REQUIRED Materials:
Orchard, T. (2017). Remembering the Body: Ethical Issues in Body Mapping Research, New York City:
Springer Press. Copy posted on our class unit about writing and the units where it is assigned reading.
Some Suggested Journals for Class Assignments:
Arts & Health
Arts Medica
Medical Humanities
The International Journal of the Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice
Visual Anthropology
The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine
COURSE ORGANIZATION AND READINGS
September 10, 2024- INTRODUCTION
Viewing of the film Among Wolves (1hr & 35 minutes)- on Kanopy
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I- GUIDING IDEAS: ARTS-BASED RESEARCH & THEORY
September 17, 2024- Arts-Based Approaches to Research
(1) Boydell, K. Gladstone, M., Volpe, T., Allemang, B., & Stasiulis, E. (2012). The Production and
Dissemination of Knowledge: A Scoping Review of Arts-Based Health Research, FORUM:
QUALITATIVE SOCIAL RESEARCH,13(1), Art. 32.
(2) Orchard, T. (2017). Remembering the Body: Ethical Issues in Body Mapping Research, New York
City: Springer Press. Read Chapter 1: pp.1-22.
September 24, 2024- Theoretical Approaches
(1) hooks, bell (1995). Art on my Mind: Visual Politics, New York: The New Press, pp. xi-21.
(2) Lengelle, R., Jardine, C., & Bonnar, C. (2018). Writing the Self for Reconciliation and Global
Citizenship: The Inner Dialogue and Creative Voices for Cultural Healing, In The Dialogical Self Theory
in Education, F. Meijers & H. Hermans, Eds. New York: Springer Press: pp. 81 - 96
II- DOING THE WORK: METHODS
October 1, 2024- Body Mapping
(1) Orchard, T. (2017). Remembering the Body: Ethical Issues in Body Mapping Research, New York
City: Springer Press. Read Chapters 3 & 4.
Creating mini body-maps in class.
THERAPEUTIC PLAYLISTS DUE OCTOBER 2ND
October 8, 2024- Indigenous Knowledge
(1) Bartlett, C., Marshall, M. & Marshall, A. (2012). Two-Eyed Seeing and Other Lessons Learned Within
a Co-Learning Journey of Bringing Together Indigenous and Mainstream Knowledges and Ways of
Knowing, Journal of Environmental Sciences & Studies, 2(4): 331-340.
(2) Hovey, R., Delormier, T., McComber, A., Levesque, L. & Martin, D. (2017). Enhancing Indigenous
Health Promotion Research Through Two-Eyed Seeing: A Hermeneutic Relational Process, Qualitative
Health Research, 27(9): 1278-1287.
(3) WRFN Mental Health and Wellness Program Application, 14-page document.
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October 22, 2024- Children
(1) Stewart-Tufescu, A., Huynh, E., Chase, R., & Mignone, J. (2018). The Life Story Board: A Task-
Oriented Research Tool to Explore Children’s Perspectives of Well-Being, Child Indicators Research,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-018-9533-8.
(2) Hamama, L. & Alshech, M. (2018): Children with epilepsy: assessing state anxiety through drawings
and a self-report questionnaire, Arts & Health, DOI:10.1080/17533015.2018.1534250
Viewing films: Blood Ties: The Life & Work of Sally Mann (30 mins) & The First Movie (55 mins)- both
on the Kanopy site.
III- MAKING IT REAL: APPLICATION
October 29, 2024- Writing: Letters, Poetry, and Other Words of Survival
(1) Penny, E. & Malpass, A. (2024): Dear Breath: using story structure to understand the value of letter
writing for those living with breathlessness – a qualitative study, Arts & Health, DOI:
10.1080/17533015.2018.1555178.
(2) Dawn, A. (2013). How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir, Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press.
Read and make notes on 6 poems from the Selections Posted on OWL.
In-class writing of a letter about art, health, and healing to yourselves.
November 5, 2024- Body Work: Tattoo & Fashion
1) Roux, S., Peck, A. & Banda, F. (2019) Playful female skinscapes: body narrations of multilingual
tattoos, International Journal of Multilingualism, 16:1, 25-41.
2) Barbour, K. (2013). It can be quite difficult to have your creativity on tap : balancing client
expectations and artistic practice in the tattoo industry, in Projections ‐ Proceedings of WCCA'2013
‐ VI World Congress on Communication and Arts, COPEC – Science and Education Research Council,
Geelong, Vic., pp. 2‐7.
3) Ryan, K. (2022) Re-Framing the arts dissertation: the visual research abstract as an alternative,
innovative and creative approach to fashion research, International Journal of Fashion Design,
Technology and Education, 15:3, 440-449.
PHOTO SERIES DUE NOVEMBER 4th
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November 12, 2024- GUEST LECTURE WITH ALICIA REITZ
November 19, 2024- What are you looking at?: Vogue-ing, Racing, and Queer Performance
1) Feldman, Z., & Hakim, J. (2023). From Paris is burning to #dragrace: Social media and the
celebrification of drag culture. In RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Cultural Politics of Fame (pp. 4-19).
Routledge.
Viewing the film Paris is Burning (1 hr & 17 minutes) – on Kanopy
November 26, 2024- Personal Geographies: Emotions, Identities, and the Intimate Contours of Life
(1) Kearney, A. (2009). Homeland Emotion: An Emotional Geography of Heritage and Homeland,
International Journal of Heritage Studies, 15(2–3): 209–222.
(2) Johnston, L. (2018). Intersectional feminist and queer geographies: a view from ‘down-under’,
Gender, Place & Culture, 25(4): 554-564.
In-class documentation of personal geographies and queering spaces.
DECEMBER 3, 2024- FINAL CLASS
FINAL PROJECTS DUE DECEMBER 5
Course/University Policies
1. The website for Registrar Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca.
In accordance with policy, the centrally administered e-mail account provided to students will be
considered the individual’s official university e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the account holder
to ensure that e-mail received from the University at his/her official university address is attended to in a
timely manner.
2. Academic Offences
Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy,
specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, in the Academic Calendar
(westerncalendar.uwo.ca).
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Plagiarism
Student work is expected to be original. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and could lead to a zero
on the assignment in question, a zero in this course, or your expulsion from the university. You are
plagiarizing if you insert a phrase, sentence or paragraph taken directly from another author without
acknowledging that the work belongs to him/her. Similarly, you are plagiarizing if you paraphrase or
summarize another author’s ideas without acknowledging that the ideas belong to someone else. All
papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection
software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be
included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers
subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently
between Western University and Turnitin.com (www.turnitin.com).
Re-submission of Previously Graded Material
Without the explicit written permission of the instructor, you may not submit any academic work for
which credit has been obtained previously, or for which credit is being sought, in another course or
program of study in the University or elsewhere.
Use of Statistical Pattern Recognition on Multiple Choice Exams
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review
by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
3. Use of Electronic Devices
During Exams: Unless you have medical accommodations that require you to do so, or explicit
permission from the instructor of the course, you may not use any electronic devices during ANY tests,
quizzes, midterms, examinations, or other in-class evaluations.
During Lectures and Tutorials: Although you are welcome to use a computer during lecture
and tutorial periods, you are expected to use the computer for scholastic purposes only, and refrain from
engaging in any activities that may distract other students from learning. From time to time, your professor
may ask the class to turn off all computers, to facilitate learning or discussion of the material presented in
a particular class. Unless explicitly noted otherwise, you may not make audio or video recordings of
lectures – nor may you edit, re-use, distribute, or re-broadcast any of the material posted to the
course website.
Personal Response Systems (“clickers”) may be used in some classes. For those classes in which
we use this technology, it is your responsibility to ensure that the device is activated and functional. You
must speak with the course instructor immediately, if you have any concerns about whether or not your
clicker is malfunctioning.
You must use only your own clicker. For all components of this course in which clicker records are used
to compute a portion of the grade:
• The use of somebody else’s clicker in class constitutes a scholastic offence;
• The possession of a clicker belonging to another student will be interpreted as an
attempt to commit a scholastic offense
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4. Academic Considerations and Absences from Lectures and Assessments
Religious Accommodation
When a course requirement conflicts with a religious holiday that requires an absence from the University
or prohibits certain activities, students should request (in writing) any necessary academic considerations
at least two weeks prior to the holiday to the academic counsellors in their Home Department. Additional
information is provided in the Western Multicultural Calendar.
Academic Accommodation
Please contact the course instructor if you require lecture or printed material in an alternate format or if
any other arrangements can make this course more accessible to you. Students with ongoing
accommodation needs within this course are also encouraged to contact Accessible Education, which
provides recommendations for accommodation based on medical documentation or psychological and
cognitive testing. The policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities can be found
here.
Academic Consideration
The University recognizes that a student’s ability to meet their academic responsibilities may, on occasion,
be impaired by extenuating circumstances that are medical or compassionate in nature. These extenuating
circumstances may be acute (short term), or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute episodes.
In all cases, students are advised to consult with the academic counsellors in their home units, at their
earliest opportunity. Academic counsellors may refer students to Accessible Education for ongoing
academic accommodations.
Most forms of academic consideration require documentation, and this documentation is to be submitted
to academic counsellors within five (5) business days of their return to academic responsibilities. Any
such documents will be retained in the student’s file, and will be held in confidence in accordance with
the University’s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy. Once the petition and supporting
documents have been received and assessed, appropriate academic considerations shall be determined by
academic counseling, in consultation with the student’s instructor(s). Academic considerations may
include extension of deadlines, waiver of attendance requirements for classes/labs/tutorials, arranging
Special Exams or Incompletes, re-weighting course requirements, or granting late withdrawals without
academic penalty. Academic considerations shall be granted only where the documentation indicates that
the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such that the student could not reasonably be expected
to complete their academic responsibilities. (Note – it will not be sufficient to provide documentation
indicating simply that the student “was seen for a medical reason” or “was ill.”).
Whenever possible, students who require academic considerations should provide notification and
documentation in advance of due dates, examinations, etc. Under no circumstances are students expected
to submit rationales for (or documentation of) any absences, to course instructors. Students are, however,
required to follow-up with course instructors, in a timely fashion, to identify the ways in which the
academic consideration will be implemented.
Examination Conflicts
A student completing tests or examinations with flexible submission times (e.g., where one or more
evaluation is a take-home assessment) cannot request alternative arrangements unless a conflict cannot be
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avoided by rescheduling writing the exam to a different time within the window specified by the instructor.
This applies to direct conflicts as well as “heavy load” conflicts (e.g., three exams within a 23-hour
period). The student should discuss any concerns about a potential conflict and/or request academic
considerations with their academic counselling unit prior to the deadline to drop a course without academic
penalty
In the case of online tests and examinations, use of a “Conflict Room,” wherein student can write two
proctored exams concurrently, will be interpreted as arrangements for continuous proctoring.
5. Contingency Plan for an In-Person Class Pivoting to 100% Online Learning
In the event of a situation that requires this course to pivot to online content delivery, all remaining course
content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable)
or asynchronously (e.g., posted on Brightspace for students to view at their convenience). The grading
scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the
course instructor
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat
function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online
offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
6. Online Proctoring
Tests and examinations in this course may be conducted using a remote proctoring service. By taking this
course, you are consenting to the use of this software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide
personal information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded. Completion of
this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the technical
requirements for this service. More information about this remote proctoring service, including technical
requirements, is available on Western’s Remote Proctoring website at: https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca.
7. Grades
Where possible assignment objectives and rubrics will be posted on Brightspace. Students can expect
some form of feedback on their performance in a course before the drop date.
□ November 13th, 2023 (for first term half-courses)
□ November 30th, 2023 (for full-year courses)
□ March 7th, 2024 (for second term half-or full year courses)
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this
A 80-89 Superior
level work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements and eminently
satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable.
F below 50 Fail
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Rounding of Grades (for example, bumping a 79 to 80%):
This is a practice some students request. The final grade documented is the grade that you have achieved.
There is no rounding to the next grade level, or ‘giving away’ of marks. Please don’t ask me to do this for
you; the response will be “please review the course outline where this is presented”.
Appealing a Grade Within this Course
You have the right to appeal any grade within this course. The grounds for a grade appeal may be one or
more of: medical or compassionate circumstances, extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s
control, bias, inaccuracy, or unfairness. All grounds advanced in a request for relief must be supported by
a clear and detailed explanation of the reasons for the request together with all supporting documentation.
Appeals generally proceed in this order:
1. Course instructor (informal consultation)
2. Department Chair (submission of written request)
3. The Dean of the Faculty (submission of written request)
In the case of perceived procedural unfairness, steps 2 and 3 are carried out within the Department and
Faculty offering the course. In the case of extenuating medical or compassionate circumstances that
impact on a grade, steps 2 and 3 are carried out within a student’s Home Department and Faculty.
A request for relief against a mark or grade must be initiated with the instructor as soon as possible after
the mark is issued. In the event that the instructor is not available to the student, or fails to act, or if the
matter is not resolved satisfactorily with the instructor, a written request for relief must be submitted to
the Chair of the Department within three weeks of the date that the mark was issued. In the case of a final
grade in a course, the written request for relief must be submitted to the Chair of the department by January
31st (for first-term half courses) or June 30th (for second-term half courses or full-year courses
8. Support Services
Health and Wellness:
Information regarding health and wellness-related services available to students may be found at
http://www.health.uwo.ca/.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
(http://www.health.uwo.ca/) for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
There are various support services around campus and these include, but are not limited to:
Student Development Centre -- http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/
Ombudsperson Office -- http://www.uwo.ca/ombuds/
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9. Student Code of Conduct
The purpose of the Code of Student Conduct is to define the general standard of conduct expected of
students registered at Western University, provide examples of behaviour that constitutes a breach of this
standard of conduct, provide examples of sanctions that may be imposed and set out the disciplinary
procedures that the University will follow. For more information, visit
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/board/code.pdf
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