Description: Disase and Disasters in North American History :
This course examines the history of humans and disease outbreaks in North America, alongside
other “natural disasters,†such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, and famines. Course
topics include health and healing in Native America, infectious disease in the Columbian
Exchange, disease and medicine in slave societies, and US imperialism and the rise of tropical
medicine. This course includes a study of the epidemiological history of diseases including
smallpox, malaria, yellow fever, cholera, influenza, and AIDS. We will analyze the causes and
impacts of disease and other ecological crises, and assess responses such healing practices, modern medicine, and public health.
For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.
