$19

weekly

or $145 for 8 classes

World History Deep Dive- Plagues & Pandemics: How Diseases Shaped History

Ages 14-18

Live Group Course

This 8-week course explores the impact of major pandemics and epidemics, examining how outbreaks have influenced wars, collapsed empires, revolutionized medicine, and reshaped societies.

Ms. Ashley Christman

Live video meetings

1x per week, 8 weeks

2-15 learners per class

80 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

8 live meetings

10 hrs 40 mins in-class hours

Projects

1-2 hours per week. 3-6 throughout the class

Letter Grade

3-6 throughout the class

Class Experience

US Grade 9 - 12

From the Black Death to COVID-19, disease has shaped history in surprising ways—changing the course of wars, toppling empires, and even sparking medical breakthroughs. In this 8-week course, we’ll explore some of the biggest disease outbreaks in history and how they impacted society, politics, and science. We’ll learn about ancient plagues, the spread of smallpox during colonization, the deadly flu of 1918, and the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

Through discussions, hands-on activities, and real historical accounts, students will gain a new perspective on how disease has influenced everything from government decisions to everyday life. By looking at the past, we’ll also think about how history can help us prepare for the future.

What You’ll Learn:

    How pandemics changed history, from ancient times to today
    How doctors and scientists fought deadly diseases over time
    The impact of disease on wars, governments, and human rights
    What history can teach us about preventing future pandemics

Who Should Take This Course?
This class is perfect for high school students interested in history, science, medicine, or global events. No prior knowledge is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to learn!

Learning Goals

Understand the Historical Impact of Disease:
Students will be able to explain how major pandemics and epidemics have influenced historical events, including the fall of empires, social changes, and advancements in medicine.

Analyze Public Responses to Outbreaks:
Students will evaluate how societies, governments, and medical professionals have responded to disease outbreaks throughout history, identifying patterns in public health strategies and misinformation.

Syllabus

Curriculum

Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum

8 Lessons

over 8 Weeks

Lesson 1:

The Role of Disease in History – An Introduction

 -Overview of major historical pandemics
-How disease shaped civilizations, wars, and economies
-The role of trade, travel, and urbanization in spreading disease
- Timeline Challenge: Students create a historical timeline of major pandemics.

80 mins online live lesson

Lesson 2:

The Plague of Athens (430 BCE) – Disease and War

 -The Peloponnesian War and the mysterious plague
-Thucydides’ account of the plague’s symptoms and impact
-How disease weakened Athens and changed the course of Greek history
-Epidemic Mystery: Students examine historical descriptions to theorize what the Plague of Athens might have been (smallpox, typhoid, etc.)

80 mins online live lesson

Lesson 3:

The Black Death (1347–1351) – The End of the Medieval World

 -How the bubonic plague spread via trade routes
-The collapse of feudalism and the rise of the middle class
-Superstition, scapegoating, and social unrest
-Primary Source Analysis: Students read and analyze firsthand accounts of the Black Death.

80 mins online live lesson

Lesson 4:

Smallpox and the Fall of Empires (15th–18th Century)

 -Smallpox in the Americas: The downfall of the Aztecs and Incas
-Variolation and early vaccination efforts
-The role of disease in European imperialism
-Debate: Should European expansion be seen as conquest or biological warfare?

80 mins online live lesson

Other Details

External Resources

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:

Sources

📜 Primary Sources (Firsthand Accounts & Historical Documents) Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War (c. 431 BCE) Description of the Plague of Athens, one of the first recorded disease outbreaks. Boccaccio’s The Decameron (1353) Firsthand accounts of the Black Death in 14th-century Italy. Samuel Pepys’ Diary (1665-1666) Personal accounts of life in London during the Great Plague and Great Fire. Cotton Mather’s Letters on Smallpox Inoculation (1721) A Puritan minister’s defense of early smallpox inoculation in Colonial America. John Snow’s Cholera Map (1854) Groundbreaking epidemiological map identifying the source of London’s cholera outbreak. Reports from the U.S. Public Health Service on the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Government documents detailing the spread and impact of the Spanish Flu. The ACT UP Manifesto (1987) A powerful activist response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. WHO and CDC Reports on COVID-19 (2020-Present) Official documents analyzing the global pandemic response. 📖 Secondary Sources (Books & Articles by Historians & Experts) William McNeill, Plagues and Peoples (1976) A book exploring how infectious diseases shaped human history. John Barry, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (2004) A detailed look at the 1918 flu pandemic and its global impact. Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance (1994) Examines modern disease threats and global health preparedness. David Quammen, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (2012) Explores how diseases jump from animals to humans and the risks of future pandemics. Kyle Harper, The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire (2017) Argues that pandemics played a key role in the fall of the Roman Empire. Mark Honigsbaum, The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris (2019) Chronicles modern outbreaks, including SARS, Ebola, and COVID-19. Richard Preston, The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus (1994) A nonfiction account of the origins and spread of Ebola.

Meet the teacher

Ms. Ashley Christman

Joined March, 2025

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

2 Degrees

Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Government from University of California Riverside

Associate's Degree in Science from Sacramento City College

I have been teaching World History, Honors English, and Creative Writing to high school students in grades 9-12 for the past 1.5 years, fostering critical thinking, analytical skills, and creative expression. I hold a bachelor's and a master's degree in history and public policy, providing me with a strong foundation in research, historical analysis, and effective communication. Beyond the classroom, I host a life skills cooking channel that combines history with culinary arts, teaching people to cook while exploring historical contexts. This unique approach allows me to connect with diverse learners, making complex topics engaging and accessible both inside and outside the classroom.