DANCE 224: Physical Listening (SOMGEN 224)

Course Description

Do you want to deepen your communication skills with patients and colleagues? Are you planning or pursuing a career in healthcare? If so, Physical Listening is the course for you. Non-verbal behaviors and physical presence play a critical role in masterful interpersonal communication. How our bodies move - the energy we project, the force and speed of our movements - informs how we perceive and communicate. The Stanford School of Medicine and Medical Humanities program invites you to join this interdisciplinary course harnessing core competencies at the intersection of medicine and dance, designed to finesse clinically relevant communication skills through creative inquiry. Through this course, learners will: Explore the concept of "physical embodiment" through interactive exercises, video viewings, clinical cases, and lively discussion; sharpen skills of kinesthetic awareness, spatial perception, and critical movement analysis; improve their ability to read and employ non-verbal, physical "language" in daily communication. Taught by faculty/instructors from the School of Medicine, Stanford Healthcare, Stanford Medicine Children's Health, and the Department of Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS). Featured instruction by JoAnna Mendl Shaw - renowned choreographer and former Juilliard and NYU Tisch School of the Arts faculty. Open to all Stanford undergraduate students (perfect for premedical students!), graduate students, and medical students. No prerequisites and no former artistic experience are expected. For any questions about the course, please reach out to Dr. Nina Shevzov-Zebrun (nszebrun@stanford.edu,), a resident physician in Pediatrics who will serve as an assisting instructor in this course.