HIST 383 Epidemics in Modern European History
Epidemics are more than diseases, they are social phenomena involving populations. As such, they have historical, political, economic, cultural, and religious dimensions. This seminar will delve into the historical context of epidemics in Europe and its colonies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Industrialization and urbanization increasingly concentrated the population of Europe in cities, raising the specter of water-borne diseases like cholera and communicable respiratory diseases like tuberculosis. At the same time, political democratization within European states and intensified national rivalry between them elevated the health and well-being of their citizens to a national priority. Many European states thus looked to medical science and public health reforms to safeguard their citizens from epidemics and promote political stability and national prowess. Students will be required to complete a major primary source-based research paper on a topic of their choosing.