HIS 3495/ZOO 4962
THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”—Chiffon Commercial,
1970’s
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HIS 3495/ZOO 4962
THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Tentative Syllabus
Prof. Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis
Fall 2012
617 Carr Hall
bsmocovi@ ufl.edu
Class Schedule: 10-E2 (5:10-8:20 pm), Room 211 Bartram Hall
Office Hours: Wednesday 1-3pm or by appointment
http://people.biology.ufl.edu/bsmocovi/Bettys_Website/Welcome.html
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the history of infectious disease from its earliest
recorded history to the recent present. It draws on a broad range of
interdisciplinary perspectives including sociology, anthropology, ecology and
evolutionary biology as well as more familiar medical perspectives to explore
the range of meanings implicit in the phrase “infectious disease.” The course
concentrates on historically well-documented examples that include leprosy,
plague, smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, influenza, tuberculosis, venereal
diseases, polio, AIDS, and H5N1, among others to understand the dynamic
nature of infectious disease and to understand the fundamentally social
aspects of infectious disease. The goals of the course are threefold: 1. to
recognize the historical and sociocultural dynamics of infectious disease 2. to
recognize the evolutionary and ecological dimensions of infectious disease 3.
to recognize how infectious disease is inextricably linked to power as embodied
in race, class, gender as well as imperialistic aspirations. The course closes
with a discussion of long-term and short-term solutions to the problems
associated with infectious disease.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. J. Hays, Burdens of Disease: Epidemics and Human Response in Western
History
2. Norman Cantor, In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World
it Made
3. David Oshinsky, Polio: An American Story
4. Jacques Pepin, The Origins of AIDS
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5. Randolph Nesse and George C. Williams, Why We Get Sick. The New Science
of
Darwinian Medicine.
6. Additional Readings Available on Sakai as PDF Files.*
*The course will be employing Sakai for its learning platform. Syllabi, readings,
announcements and matters pertaining to this course will be found there.
EVALUATION:
Course evaluation follows the organization of the course. It includes two in-class exams
and one final take home essay exam worth 30% respectively. Students are expected to
attend all lectures and to complete all reading assignments in time for class. The final
10% of the grade will be based on class participation including attendance. Please note:
the readings are meant to supplement the lectures. Students are expected to do all the
readings assigned but will not be examined directly from these books for the in-class
examinations. The final take-home essay exam will be based on lectures and all the
readings assigned, and is cumulative and integrative in nature. Students will have choice
between questions for the final-take home exam. These will be distributed in advance of
the due date (see schedule below). Make-up exams are not encouraged but may be
possible given sufficient explanation (e.g. physician’s note). In-class examination format
includes short answers, matches and longer essays. The final take home examination will
require essay responses for a total of under 3000 words. For an explanation of UF grade
scales please consult the following:
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS:
Week One: Syllabus Handout and Class Introduction.
The Magnitude of the Problem.
Week Two: Emerging Pathogens and the Coming Plague. The Garden of Germs.
Coming to Terms with Pathogens.
Disease as Old as Civilization. Early Disease Theory. Plagues in Antiquity.
Stigmatizing Illnesses: Leprosy.
Readings: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapters 1 and 2; Thucydides, The
Peloponnesian War, the “Great Plague of Athens” (pdf file).
Week Three: The Black Death.
Readings: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapter 3;
Norman Cantor, In the Wake of the Plague.
Week Four: Diseases of Contact.
Smallpox and Syphilis. The Intimate Plague: Venereal Disease and Gender.
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Readings: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapter 4; Sheldon Watts, “The
Secret Plague: Syphillis in West Europe and Asia, 1492-1965” (pdf file).
Week Five: Diseases of Development: Yellow Fever and Malaria.
Reading: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapter 9. Sheldon Watts, “Yellow
Fever, Malaria and Development: Atlantic Africa and the New World, 16471928” (pdf file).
Week Six: In Class Examination One, Thursday September 27.
Week Seven: The Ills of Modern Society I. Diseases of Crowding and
Urbanization. Cholera. John Snow and Waterborne Illness. Tuberculosis.
Diseases and War: Typhus
Reading: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapters 7 and 8.
Week Eight: The Rise of Scientific Medicine. The Germ Theory of Disease. The
War with Microbes and the Public Hygiene Movement
Reading: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapter 5, 6 and 10.
Week Nine: No Class, Thursday October 18th
Week Ten: Forgotten Diseases: The Spanish Influenza and Diptheria.
The Perils of Prosperity: Polio. The Politics of Vaccination. Antibiotics and the
Apparent End to Epidemics.
Reading: David Oshinsky, Polio: an American Story; J. N. Hays, Burdens of
Disease, Chapter 11.
Week Eleven: The Shock of the New.
Colonization, the Environment, and Understanding Emerging Pathogens. The
Origins of AIDS.
Reading: J. N. Hays, Burdens of Disease, Chapter 12;
Jacques Pepin, The Origins of AIDS.
Week Twelve: Understanding Infectious Disease in Evolutionary and Ecological
Terms. Readings: Randolph Nesse and George C. Williams, Why We Get Sick.
The New Science of Darwinian Medicine; Selections from Science, special issue
on Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (2001); Selections including
Nature (2011 “A Draft Genome of Yersinia Pestis from Victims of the Black
Death;”Selections from Science on climate change and emerging pathogens
(pdf files).
Week Thirteen: In Class Examination Two, Thursday November 15.
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Week Fourteen: Thanksgiving Break
Week Fifteen: Fact, Fiction, Fear and Fantasy. Designer Plagues and
Bioterrorism. Pathogens and American Popular Culture. The H5N1 Controversy.
Readings: H5NI Special Issue of Science, 336 (2012).
Film Excerpts: Panic in the Streets, Omega Man, Andromeda Strain, Outbreak,
Twelve Monkeys, Contagion.
Final Take Home Exam Handed Out, Due December 10 at 5 pm, at 617 Carr
Hall.
POLICIES AND UNIVERSITY ASSISTANCE:
References/Recommendations
Performance in this class will be reflected in the final grade, which will also
appear on the UF official transcripts. If additional research, course-work, or
honors theses are undertaken with the instructor, references may be
requested.
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UF Counseling Services
Resources are available on-campus for students having personal
problems or lacking clear career and academic goals. The resources
include:
o UF Counseling & Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Rd, 392-1575,
psychological and psychiatric services.
o Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career and job
search services.
Many students experience test anxiety and other stress related
problems. “A Self Help Guide for Students” is available through the
Counseling Center (301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575) and at their web site:
http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/.
Honesty Policy
All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to
comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University
of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I
agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and
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understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result
in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.”
In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is
either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor
received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
If you witness any instances of academic dishonesty in this class, please
notify the instructor or contact the Student Honor Court (392-1631) or
Cheating Hotline (392-6999). For additional information on Academic
Honesty, please refer to the University of Florida Academic Honesty
Guidelines at:
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/academicguide.html.
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Students who will require a classroom accommodation for a disability
must contact the Dean of Students Office of Disability Resources, in
Peabody 202 (phone: 352-392-1261). Please see the University of Florida
Disability Resources website for more information at:
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drp/services/.
It is the policy of the University of Florida that the student, not the
instructor, is responsible for arranging accommodations when needed.
Once notification is complete, the Dean of Students Office of Disability
Resources will work with the instructor to accommodate the student.
Software Use
All faculty, staff and students of the University are required and expected to
obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so
can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual
violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules,
disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
PLEASE NOTE: Only approved electronic devices may be used in class.
Approved electronic devices are laptop computers (when used to take notes or
otherwise participate in classroom activities) and voice recording devices.
Unapproved electronic devices include cell phones, video recorders, digital
cameras and MP3 players
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