Big Question Curriculum (Undergraduate)
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The Hippocratic Society
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Level: Undergraduate
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5 question modules · 37 lessons
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Reading and discussion
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Reading PDFs and module outlines
Browse the course outline below. Lessons and downloads are available after the Society approves your request and enrolls you.
Not a chapter leader? Submit an exemption request.
Begin With a Question
Start with the Course Introduction, then choose a question to explore with your chapter. Each module brings an introduction, readings, discussion questions, a clinical case, and a downloadable outline together.
Use one question as a semester theme, choose readings for your group, and return to the discussion questions as your understanding grows. The outline covers the full module and can guide your preparation.
Back to the course library →What's included?
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5 question modules
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37 lessons
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Discussion questions
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Clinical cases and outlines
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Reading PDFs and outlines
Read and reflect
Discuss and apply
The Hippocratic Society
Begin with Start Here, then read the introduction and readings in each module. Make notes on the passages that challenge you, then use the accompanying questions to prepare for a conversation with peers.
Work through the clinical case to connect the ideas with patient care. Return to the module outline to draw the readings together and identify questions worth carrying forward.
Read online or use the downloadable readings and outlines. Approved chapter leaders can enroll for free; new users should create an account and complete the chapter-information form for review.
Five questions. A foundation for good medicine.
Each module brings readings, discussion questions, a clinical case, and an outline together around one enduring human question.
What Is a Human Being, and What Is Its End?
Explore human nature, dignity, and purpose through Cicero, Leon Kass, Mary Shelley, and Sophocles. Ask how our understanding of the person shapes the way we care.
What Is the End of Medicine?
Read the Hippocratic Oath alongside Wendell Berry, Tolstoy, and Auden. Consider health, healing, and the responsibilities of the medical profession.
What Is the Meaning of Suffering?
Bring Seneca, Viktor Frankl, Ben Frush, Camus, and Auden into conversation. Reflect on how suffering is experienced, understood, and met in the care of others.
What Is Death and How Do We Die Well?
Examine mortality with Leon Kass, Seneca, Tolstoy, and Whitman. Consider the limits of medicine and what it means to accompany someone near the end of life.
What Does It Mean to Flourish?
Read Thomas Donaldson, Arthur Brooks, Longfellow, and Flannery O’Connor. Reflect on happiness, purpose, work, and the place of medicine in a flourishing life.
Students preparing to care for others
Designed for undergraduate students exploring medicine and the human questions behind it. Read independently or bring the questions to a small group for shared reflection.
Before you begin
How do I get access?
Access is free after approval. Create a LearnWorlds account and submit the Request Access form using the same email address. Our team will review your chapter affiliation or exemption request and enroll you after approval. Then sign in to begin. Not a chapter leader? Use the same form to submit an exemption request and explain why you would like access.
What materials are included?
Five question modules plus Start Here: Course Introduction, with 37 lessons including introductions, readings, discussion questions, five clinical cases, and five outlines. Downloadable readings and outlines accompany the online lessons.
How should I work through the course?
Begin with Start Here: Course Introduction, then read each module’s introduction and review its outline to prepare for discussion. Read each excerpt aloud in your meeting and allow time for reflection and open dialogue, bringing in the clinical case as needed.
Can I use it with a discussion group?
The questions and module outlines provide a starting point for shared conversation. Share the selected reading and questions beforehand. Read the excerpt aloud together, invite participants to bring a passage or question, and connect the ideas to the clinical case.