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A HISTORY OF DISEASE

HISTSCI 404
Course Description

What is disease? Who decides? What are the consequences of labeling a behavior a disease? Can disease be a tool of liberation? Can disease be an instrument of oppression? How do race, class, and gender affect our understandings of and experiences with illness? How have diseases shaped American history? Illustrates the various ways disease operates in America and examines the role of disease on at least four levels--political, social, cultural, and personal--to demonstrate that diseases are not merely bodily afflictions; they are also participants in the body politic. Each disease covered is chosen to illustrate a different point about the social and cultural lives of disease in the history of the United States. Though diseases are covered in a chronological fashion, this coverage is not meant as a narrative history of disease.

Prerequisties

Sophomore standing

Satisfies
Credits

Not Reported

Offered

Not Reported

Grade Point Average
2.61

-5.55% from Historical

Completion Rate
95.45%

-0.21% from Historical

A Rate
36.36%

50.12% from Historical

Class Size
22

-31.68% from Historical

Cumulative Grade Distribution

Instructors (2025 Fall)

Sorted by ratings from Rate My Professors

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