136-175 The Ecological History of Humankind

Formerly available as 136-032. Students who have completed 136-032 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

This subject is a study of the ecological history of humankind from prehistoric times to the present day and explores the interplay between climate, disease ecology, food supplies, population and human culture. It is the history of human beings in competition with their environment, with each other, and with other organisms - an examination of the ways in which we have shaped the diseases which have afflicted us and the way in which health and disease have shaped our ways of life and our beliefs. The story begins with the health of hunter-gatherers and surveys world history from the rise of agricultural production and the domestication of animals, to conclude with HIV AIDS in the first and third worlds. It includes the Mongol hordes and the Black Death, biological imperialism and the conquest of the New World, slavery and disease, sex and the family, the challenge of the industrial city and the social determinants of health. Students who complete this course should acquire a map of the ecological history of the human past, and understand the historical roots of the health and wealth inequalities of the modern world.

• develop skills in written and oral communication;

• conduct independent research;

• make appropriate use of primary and secondary sources in mounting an argument;

• form defensible judgements based on a critical evaluation of conflicting arguments.

Two 1500 word research classpapers 30% each (due during the semester), a 1000 word class test 30% (due in week 12) and class participation 10%. A hurdle requirement of 80% attendance of tutorials required.

• W H McNeill, Plagues and Peoples. Anchor (paperback).
• Sheldon Watts, Disease and Medicine in World History. Routledge, London 2003.