|
|
The mission of this
course is to give the student a detailed look at the important infectious
diseases that were so devastating to Native Americans following European
and African contact.
We
will begin by considering the arrival of the First Americans. Their
founder population size, degree of genetic homogeneity and what in the way
of microbial 'baggage' they might have brought with them.
We will then explore the
emergence of 'herd' type infectious disease in human populations and how
the Americas differed from Europe.
The majority of our time will
be spent studying selected infectious disease that so substantially
reduced the numbers of Native Americans |
Native American Winter Count,
1701-1727 |
|
during the period of conquest and
colonization. We will consider the biological effects, epidemiology,
cultural and social consequences of disease such as: smallpox, measles,
influenza, malaria, yellow fever, typhus, tuberculosis and syphilis.
Some of the reading for this
course will be provided online. If you plan to do some of the work from
home, there some basic
computer requirements. |
|
|
|
