Literature and mental health: reading and discussion of classical books among undergraduates of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), in the perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Grant number: 21/05749-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Dante Marcello Claramonte Gallian
• Grantee: Letícia Torres de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the impact of reading and discussion of classical books among undergraduates of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), in the perspective of the current scenario: pandemic of COVID-19. In this context of tension and anguish, we will investigate the relevance of a space to discuss classic literature and its impact on the mental health of students who act on health care. The experiment will occur by means of "Laboratory of Humanities" - a subject developed by Professor Doctor Dante Gallian - and it will be virtual. The methodology will be composed by "participant observation" and reports of "oral history of life"; the documentary analysis will be based on the phenomenological method of immersion/crystallization, evidencing recurrent themes in the collected narratives. Classic literature brings universal values, and, therefore, can promote deep considerations about human existence. Such is the power of literature - it is subjective; triggers emotions and moves the ones that were already there. (AU)