AIP 323 Human Disease: Biology, Civilization and the Arts (NP)
An interdisciplinary course that examines the biological basis of disease, emphasizing those infectious organisms that have been historically responsible for illness in humans. Human disease has shaped history and people have often altered disease progression and impact through a variety of cultural attitudes. These illnesses have served as inspirations for art, which often depict the fear of human frailty and the consequences of this fear. This course will study disease from a historical standpoint: how disease influenced human history, how disease was represented in various art forms and how art affected the perception and progression of disease. An analysis of different societal responses to diseases in the past can inform us about the evolution of human culture and potentially provide a framework to better understand the human response to emerging ‘plagues’ of today.