ATS2829 · Monash University
People and plagues: Diseases that changed history
- Credit points
- 6
- Level
- 2
- Workload
- ≈ 12 h / week
- Faculty
- Arts
What it covers
How has illness shaped human history? This unit explores the social history of disease, health and wellness in a variety of chronological and geographical settings. We challenge a triumphalist understanding of medical history as the inexorable march of scientific conquest over pathogens, emphasising the complicated interaction of social structures, political forces, and medical knowledge. Topics may include: pre-modern understandings of disease and the body; the history of the germ theory of disease; colonial medicine; eugenics; sexually transmitted diseases; alcoholism; cancer and the tobacco industry; and the opioid crisis.
Assessment
| Task | Type | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Annotate Bibliography | Written | 20% |
| Analytical Exercise | Exercise | 10% |
| Interactive Oral Assessment | Demonstration | 20% |
| In-Class Participation Activity | Exercise | 15% |
| Research Project | Written | 35% |
When and where
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On-campus |
| Caulfield | On-campus |