INTS 410W : Plagues and Peoples

Through lectures, discussion, student presentations, and other pedagogies, this class aims to achieve four primary objectives: 1) To explore the role that disease and medicine played in important historical events; 2) to study the social, institutional and cultural dimensions of disease, ailments and medicine in today’s global societies; 3) to become familiar with some of the basic mechanics of epidemic diseases, such as smallpox, influenza, yellow fever, cholera, bubonic plague, syphilis, AIDS and Covid-19; 4) and to understand how some of the most important policy debates in international studies take (or should take) infectious diseases into consideration. Western (bio-)medicine is emphasized, but Eastern traditions and alternative medicine are not excluded. Students interested in careers in medicine, public health, and global health policy may consider this class.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.