ANTH 1131 Plagues and People
To what extent have pathogens affected the history and evolution of our species? What can diseases reveal about human care systems? As a survey course, Plagues and People examines how health and disease vary across time and space. We will focus on a series of diseases and pathogens as ‘case studies' to see how each of them intersect with other social and cultural variables. We’ll be reading the human record of disease from a variety of material perspectives, ranging from documents and art to archaeology to explore how our species has been, and continues to be, intertwined with pathogens.