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Academic Year 2003/2004

The History of Disease and Epidemics
HIST 324 SP
Crosslistings:
SISP 324

Disease and epidemics are common to human experience in almost all times and places. However they also differ greatly depending on the causal agent, the host persons, methods of treatment, and most importantly, systems of understanding used to interpret the phenomena of disease. This course will examine several important infectious diseases and epidemics in history, including the black plague, cholera, syphilis, smallpox, tuberculosis, and AIDS. It will focus on conceptual and methodological issues in each case, and contrast issues concerned with differences between infectious and non-infectious diseases.

MAJOR READINGS

Allan Brandt, NO MAGIC BULLET
Charles Rosenberg, THE CHOLERA YEARS
Williams Johnston, THE MODERN EPIDEMIC
Susan Sontag, ILLNESS AS METAPHOR
Others TBA

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Each student will develop a research topic that requires the use of primary sources and work on it over the semester, handing in drafts that will become a substantial final research paper.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004

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