From the Black Death of 1348 to emergent infections today, dramatic disease outbreaks both affected and reflected history. This course explores how medicine and culture intersected to influence the causes of and responses to epidemics; and it uses specific epidemics to illuminate global history from medieval societies to the present.

Course Requirements:

Midterm exam (20%), 2-hr final exam (20%), 5 short-answer quizzes on material from both lecture and readings (20%), reading journal in the discussion sections (20%), and a 2500-word final research project (20%). Students will receive extensive guidance in class and individually on topic selection and how to locate and interpret historical documents. Specific portions of the project will be due at various points throughout the term.

Intended Audience:

Sophomores, juniors and seniors. While it is meant to be rigorous and challenging, it presumes no previous background in social history or medicine.

Class Format:

Three hours of lecture per week with one hour of GSI-led section per week.