History of Medicine and Global Empires

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will introduce students to the important roles that medicine played in shaping colonial contexts and the broader trajectory of global history. Since Christopher Columbus first landed on the shores of the West Indies in 1492, European imperialists have been acutely tuned in to matters of health and disease in the colonial enterprise. The health of colonists, the spread of diseases both new and old, the potential of novel medicines, and the control of native populations were all crucial matters in managing and expanding new empires. Our contemporary world is a byproduct of these colonial ambitions, a world in which medicine and science continue to play indispensable roles. Potential topics include: the early Americas; indigenous healers; colonial Africa, India, New Zealand, and Korea; medical missions; medical research in colonial contexts; race and gender; U.S. imperialism; modern global health. Some background knowledge of U.S. and World history useful but not required.