De las plagas a la viruela: una historia de las enfermedades y la medicina europeas

This is a broad introductory class on the history of diseases and medicine from ancient times through to Modern Era. It is an ideal course for those who are interested in general history, the study of diseases, or how medical practices have changed over time. No prior classes or information is needed to be in this course.

Over the course of twelve weeks, we will be covering time periods in two-week blocks:
Section 1: Weeks 1 and 2: Ancient Plagues and Medicine (600 BCE – 476 CE) – this section of the course will cover the Classical Era. The topics will include: Ancient Greek, Roman, and Persian Medicine, the Plague of Athens, and the works of important figures such as Hippocrates and Theophrastus. 
Section 2: Weeks 3 and 4: European Medieval Period/Middle Ages (476 CE – 1450 CE) – in this section we will be looking at the Plague of Justinian and the Black Death, the barber surgeons, superstitious treatments and charms, and how medical inventions progressed in the Middle East.
Section 3: Weeks 5 and 6: Early Modern Era (1450 CE – 1750 CE) – the Age of Discovery, the European Renaissance, and the Age of Reason. We will be talking about how diseases transferred from the Old World of Europe to the New World in the Americas, epidemics of this time period, and the works of Renaissance doctors and scientists.
Section 4: Weeks 7 and 8: Modern Era Part 1: First Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary Periods (1760 CE – 1848 CE) – this class will cover illnesses that occurred while European countries were in times of turmoil and war. 
Section 5: Weeks 9 and 10: Modern Era Part 2: Victorian Era through to World War I (1837 CE – 1918) – in this section, we will be covering diseases such as: whooping cough, typhoid, cholera, and the Spanish flu. Along with diseases that arose due to the Irish Famine. We will also look at progresses in sanitation that have aided in the overall health of the modern world.
Section 6: Weeks 11 and 12: We will be closing out the class with an in-depth look of women’s health and medicine and how it has changed over time. There will also be a review at the end of class, with an optional final exam posted to the classroom.

Throughout the class, we will be using both contemporary accounts and modern historical analyses. The live class sections will contain a Google slideshow with the lecture and discussion will be encouraged; however, students are also welcome to attend the lectures without having to input. In-between the live classes, there will be additional assignments available on the Nearpod platform and there will be discussion posts in the Outschool classroom.