ANT 335 - Plagues, People, and History (3 cr.)

This course will examine epidemic diseases within a biological and historical context. Topics covered include catastrophic infectious disease and the human body’s response, biological change over time, how scientists discovered the causes and developed controls for infectious disease, and the ways in which plagues and human culture interact to shape societal values, traditions, and institutions. Issues such as the impact of sedentism, malnutrition, disease constructs, warfare, and poverty on the behavior of infectious pathogens will be covered, including examples from Ancient (Greek, Roman, Egyptian), Medieval and Modern Ages.
Liberal arts
Semester(s) Offered: Spring