History 2812E: Plague, Pox and Flu: Disease in Global History

Course Description

Has disease altered history? How have different societies, at different times, responded to disease prevention and outbreaks? This course focuses on the role of disease in history, examining how disease swept through cities, devastated populations, and transformed politics, public health and economies. Spanning the globe and ranging in time period from antiquity to present day, this course surveys medicine and society’s experience with, understanding of, and response to specific diseases, such as the plague, leprosy, cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza, HIV-AIDS and SARS. Several historical approaches will be emphasized in this course, including disease as a causative agent of change, disease as a mirror reflecting social processes, and disease as a way of illustrating theories and practices concerning health and medicine. Issues of class, race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality will certainly be discussed.


Lectures will focus not just on a narrative account of events, but will also consider historical interpretation, contrasting points of view, as well as methods and theories used by historians to gather and evaluate historical evidence. How do historians know what they know about the past? Students will be encouraged to investigate history through a variety of primary sources throughout this course.


This course is open to all students. History students, students planning to major in science or medicine, or other students in the social sciences, health sciences, or arts and humanities are welcome. Students do not need a background in science, medicine or even history to take this survey course.

Texts

 

J.N. Hays, The Burdens of Disease: Epidemics and Human Response in Western History (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2009, Revised Edition)

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2010) 6th edition

Evaluation


Online Discussions (10 topics) ……..…………. 10 % ……… Approx. every 2 weeks
Short Essay Assignment (4-5 pp) ...…................ 15 % ……… Oct 12 due
Midterm Test …………………………………. 20 % ……… Nov 23 in class
History of Disease Research Paper (8-10 pp) ..... 25 % ……… Mar 14 due
Final Exam ……………………………………. 30 % ……… April exam period

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