Course Description
Beginning in the Paleolithic, this course will explore how
disease and mortality changed with the invention of agriculture,
contact between the Americas and the Old World, and the
Industrial Revolution. It also explores the history and impact
of diseases such as smallpox, malaria, the Black Death,
tuberculosis, and AIDS.
Athena Title
Disease and Human History
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in HIST 3740, HIST 3740H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about disease in human history by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the global history of disease has shaped social and cultural attitudes and identities, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
Topical Outline
- Paleolithic disease and mortality; Tuberculosis
- The Neolithic revolution
- Diseases of early historical societies
- Mummies, bones, and paleopathology
- The first descriptions of infectious diseases
- Sanitation in pre-industrial cities
- The Black Death
- The Columbian Exchange
- The depopulation of the Americas
- Syphilis
- Yellow Fever
- The Current Epidemiological Shift
- Germs: urban life, sanitation, and mortality
- Vaccines: smallpox and polio
- Antibiotics: their history and future
- Cancer
- Emerging diseases: AIDS
Institutional Competencies
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
