BIO1611 Human Disease and Society

Infectious disease has been a major factor in shaping (and re-shaping) human society. This course will demonstrate how various diseases infect, spread through, and affect populations of Homo sapiens. Students will learn how specific diseases, such as bubonic plague and smallpox, significantly affect human society in terms of evolution, as well as how societies have worked to combat/mitigate effects of these diseases. The development of public health practices ranging from isolation to vaccines and innovations in diagnostics and disease treatment will be examined. Historically significant infectious diseases, such as the Black Death, malaria, tuberculosis, smallpox, cholera, polio, influenza, and HIV/Aids, will be used as specific examples; students will use readings, case studies, and the gathering and evaluation of epidemiological data to practice forming and testing hypotheses, gathering and evaluating data, comprehending complex processes, making reasonable predictions, and communicating results in written and visual formats. Students will apply their comprehension of disease effects on society by analyzing the Covid-19 pandemic and predicting potential consequences of newly emerging diseases on modern society. Credits: 4

35