Artificial Epidemics and Changes in Human Culture

0.5 Unit · Graduate

This course provides a close examination of how human behavior affects the development and spread of so-called "artificial epidemics," primarily covering non-communicable diseases affecting adults. Diseases and conditions will be examined in order to discern the epidemiology of the disease and how cultural influences can impact both the rise of diseases as public health issues and their subsequent decline in incidence with a view toward prevention of future outbreaks. The course is designed as a "flipped classroom"; students will review materials in advance of the class session and come prepared to share and discuss the week's topic in class. Thus there is an exceptional long reading list each week and only 1 hour of classroom, rather than 90 minutes, per week in this 1⁄2 unit class.