This is a companion class to my other two "Plague" classes.  This course will cover several of the most devastating parasites in human history.  Some of the most common parasites can be easily treated, others are outside the reach of medical science for now.  Some cause long term debilitating illness, some are quickly lethal. We'll discuss the key features of the parasite, the illness it caused, how it can be treated or prevented, and interesting history surrounding it.  
The class is structured around a 5-10 minute discussion of each parasite.  I will have a slide show, and a group discussion. In my experience students love to talk about infectious disease, what they know or heard, what they're interested in finding out.  The goal is for the class to be as interactive as possible.  We'll see some pictures of the parasite, some pictures of the disease, and learn some interesting science about humans and the world we live in.  It should take about 4-5 minutes per disease.

Students don't need any special knowledge to take this class, but some basic science vocabulary would be helpful such as sexual/asexual reproduction, host, parasite, lifecycle, DNA, mutation.  We'll be going over all these terms and more during class so it shouldn't be hard for everyone to keep up.