ANTH4002: Epidemics in Human Evolution

This course examines the global human experience with health and disease through anarchaeological and historical perspective, from the early days of our species to the present. Wewill survey major infectious and noncommunicable diseases that have affected humansocieties, including tuberculosis, plague, influenza, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and leprosy. You willlearn how humans have responded and adapted to many of these conditions, and how diseaseorganisms have evolved in tandem. Course content examines large-scale disease and healthpatterns over time with a special focus on global pandemics and major epidemiologicaltransitions such as those brought about by the introduction of agriculture, the Age ofExploration, colonialism, and industrialization. You will become familiar with the methods andapproaches used by anthropologists and archaeologists to study disease in the past and howthese inferences influence understanding of present-day health. The course will end with adiscussion of emerging health challenges such as the rise of antibiotic resistance, novel zoonoticdiseases, and the prevalence of health disparities.

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