PLAGUES AND PANDEMICS: HOW INFECTION SHAPED CULTURE AND HISTORY

Catalog description

Infectious diseases continue to affect us all in the present, and plagues have shaped the course of history. From the Justinian plague in the 6th Century to the decimation of Native populations in the US by smallpox to the 1918 influenza pandemic, human history has been influenced by microbes—and our culture, in turn, can affect the generation of new plagues. This course is appropriate both for humanities majors looking for an introduction to infectious diseases as well as science majors looking to better understand infectious diseases in their historical and cultural context, and the way these diseases have (and continue to) shape history. Ultimately, students should be able to understand the basics of infectious disease epidemiology and disease control within a wide cultural and historical context. The course will encompass various topics in microbiology and infectious disease, using primarily popular non-fiction books on these subjects as sources.