History of Reproductive Health (325-0-1)

Instructors

Sarah B Rodriguez
312/503-2887
1800 Sherman Ave Suite 1-200, Evanston

Meeting Info

University Hall 312: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The history of reproduction is a large subject, and during this course we will touch on many, but by no means all, of what can be considered as part of this history. Our focus will be on human reproduction, considering the vantage points of both healthcare practitioners and lay women and men. We will look at ideas concerning fertility, conception, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, birth control, abortion, and assisted reproduction. Because, at a fundamental level, reproduction is about power - as historian Amy Kaler (but by no means only Kaler), pointed out, "[c]control over human reproduction is eternally contested, in zones ranging from the comparative privacy of the conjugal bedroom to the political platform and programs of national polities" - we will pay attention to power in reproductive health. And, since the distribution of power in matters of reproduction has often been uneven and unequal - between men and women, between colonizing and Indigenous populations, between clinicians and lay people, between those in upper socioeconomic classes and those in lower socioeconomic classes - we will pay particular attention during this class to struggles over matters of reproduction as we explore historical changes and continuities in reproduction globally since 1900.

Fulfills Area IV (Historical Studies) distribution requirement

Class Materials (Required)

All course materials will be accessible on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area