Biomedicine and World History (379-0-20)
Instructors
Helen Louise Tilley
847/467-3014
Harris Hall - Room 335
Meeting Info
Annenberg Hall G15: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
This lecture course uses the Covid-19 pandemic as a point of departure to study the history of global health and biomedicine. We will break the quarter into four segments during which we will consider: 1) the "unification of the globe" by infectious diseases; 2) the role of empires, industries, war, and revolutions in spreading biomedical cultures around the world; 3) the functions played by transnational and global health institutions in different continents; and 4) the growth of the pharmaceutical industry and the narcotics trade. Students will have a chance to apply insights from the readings - about histories of racial segregation, reproductive politics, militarization, and police powers - to the more recent past. Lectures and readings cover all world regions: Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Learning Objectives
To understand diseases as active agents in human history. To analyze how political, economic, legal, and social systems intersect with medical history. To explain how global phenomena have taken root in different parts of the world. To refine historical reasoning about the origins and impact of multifaceted and transnational issues.
Evaluation Method
Students will be asked to complete several writing exercises that culminate in a comprehensive timeline and analysis of the course's themes. They will also take an active part in discussion sections.
Class Notes
Concentration: Global
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Students who have previously taken History 300-0 Section 47, Biomedicine and World History, in Spring 2013 are not allowed to take this course.
Associated Classes
DIS - University Hall 112: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - University Hall 218: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Harris Hall L05: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 3-410: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Harris Hall L06: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM
DIS - Harris Hall L06: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Harris Hall L04: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM