Description
HIS108: FROM PLAGUE TO PROTEST: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF DISEASE
OFFERED: 2021 Term 4 (begins NZ Tuesday 16 November 2021 or US Monday 15 November 2021) in order to cater to both NZ & US time zones. Four sessions only.
This course will be offered again in 2022. Stay tuned!
This course is offered once with both local New Zealand time and the equivalent North American time Zone options are listed below.
TIME ZONE DIFFERENCES:
- New Zealand: Tuesdays 12:00-2:00pm for 4 weekly class sessions on 16th Nov, 23rd Nov, 30th Nov, and 7th Dec 2021.
- Australia (Sydney) equivalent: Tuesdays 10:00-12:00pm for 4 weekly class sessions on 16th Nov, 23rd Nov, 30th Nov, and 7th Dec 2021.
- US Pacific equivalent: Mondays 3:00-5:00pm, for classes on 15th Nov, 22rd Nov, 29th Nov, and 6th Dec 2021.
- US Eastern equivalent: Mondays 6:00-8:00pm, for classes on 15th Nov, 22rd Nov, 29th Nov, and 6th Dec 2021.
- Other time zones: Those in other times zones that don’t wish to attend in the middle of the night can consider watching the video recording of each session which is available 1-2 days after each live session.
Location: EarthDiverse, 401 Grey Street, Hamilton East, Hamilton (see map below under Location tab) if attending in-person, or on-line via-Zoom for attending live-streamed sessions, or video recordings of live sessions available 1-2 days after live session. Zoom meeting ID sent once registration is complete.
This four-session course offers an accessible overview of disease from both biological and social perspectives. Each session contains two topics. We will begin with discovering how the body defends itself against invaders, and then pivot to examining the invaders themselves. Armed with this knowledge, we will be able to explore how diseases have played out in society, from the Middle Ages through to the present day. Along the way, we will examine some fascinating case studies and the individuals who have played pivotal roles in either furthering our understanding in the battle of organisms or in stymying public health efforts.
COURSE OUTLINE:
WEEK 1 TOPICS:
- Our Very Clever Immune System: What is the immune system? What are its parts and how does is work? We’ll discover how the immune system is one of the most complex and infinitely clever systems of the body.
- A Who’s Who in the World of Microbes: What is a microbe? We’ll look at the most famous in this “who’s who” lineup: viruses, bacteria, and parasites, and how they can cause problems in our bodies.
WEEK 2 TOPICS:
- Ancient Diseases and Their Cures: How was disease understood and treated in the dark ages? We’ve come a long way in our scientific understanding since then, but the societal and cultural effects of ancient diseases are here to stay.
- The Social Stigma of Disease: Disease does not occur in a social vacuum. While some diseases are treated with compassion, others like leprosy and AIDS carry strong stigmas which persist in society.
WEEK 3 TOPICS:
- Bugs in the Bedroom: Lifestyles, Politics, and STIs: STIs are complicated, and not because of the pathogen. Social values, cultural beliefs, and even politics play an important part in the transmission, spread, and control of these diseases.
- The Arrival of the Vaccine: Vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs, allowing us to prevent otherwise fatal diseases. Yet from their inception to present, vaccines have elicited strong social opposition.
WEEK 4 TOPICS:
- Tracking the Intruder: The Early Epidemiologists: What is epidemiology? We’ll look at the sleuthing techniques used by early epidemiologists to solve disease mysteries and how this helped shape the field of epidemiology.
- When Pandemic Strikes: From the black plague to the Spanish flu to Covid-19, pandemics have accompanied us on our journey through history, reshaping our world and leaving behind a trail of death and social disharmony. But the battle against pandemics is not only won in the laboratory, but very importantly, with public health measures.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.
Distance Learning: This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered:
- attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time,
- attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time,
- watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule.
These options can be mixed and matched throughout the course to suit your own availability and location.
Adam Nachowitz is a nineteen year old student based in Wellington, and is delighted to be a part of our exciting new Junior Lecturer series. Since his birth, microbes have been a huge part of Adam’s life. Everywhere he went, microbes were there too. They were there for his first day of school, the day he lost his first tooth, the first time he drove a car. Most of these microbes are pretty useful guys, just doing their thing to keep our world clean and liveable. Others, however, gripped by an evil streak, determinedly set out to attack our immune systems. It was these microscopic nasties which most captured Adam’s imagination, and led him to him taking his studies to the next level with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, with majors in Molecular Pathology and Mathematics, as well as a Bachelor of Music, at Victoria University of Wellington. Adam is also a keen tramper, dancer, musician, and actor and enjoys cooking meals. His expansive volunteering experience in both environmental and social spheres, includes work as his high school environment captain, BLAKE Inspire, Duke of Edinburgh awards, and Amnesty International. As recognition for these efforts, Adam was awarded Volunteering Waikato’s special commendation for the 2019 Youth Volunteer of the Year. No matter how busy life gets, Adam will always stop for a chat about his cells and yours.
DISTANCE-LEARNING OPTIONS:
In addition to our in-person classes in Hamilton, our courses offer distance learning options for those unable to attend classes in-person. Live-streamed Hamilton classes are available via free Zoom software for those living outside the Waikato. Live-streaming allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom.
Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time.
Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning components will be sent after completing your registration. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.
- Any Term course can be taken independently of the others, and there are no prerequisites for any of the Term courses.
- This class has no assignments, required readings, quizzes, tests or exams.
- All classes encourage questions and group discussion.
- PDF copies of each class presentation are emailed to all participants the next day so that you are free to focus on class content rather than taking notes. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy the discussions!
- Course fees include a short tea/coffee/snack break in the middle of each session.
- There are no refunds for missed classes, but video recordings are available.
- Guests of registered participants are welcome to attend a single class at no charge.
- Certificates of Completion for any particular Term Course or Series are available for Professional Development purposes upon request at the end of each Term or Series.
Cost per person per Term (8 classes):
- Waged: NZ$75 (includes GST + online registration fee)
- Unwaged (unemployed, students, seniors): NZ$65 (includes GST + online registration fee)
Prices for Waged and Unwaged registrants remain the same regardless of your chosen method for accessing our courses. This means that you have the option to mix and match access between attending our regularly-scheduled live class sessions in our Hamilton classrooms, accessing our live class sessions on-line via Zoom at the regularly scheduled class meeting time (no matter where you are located), or watching the video-recorded sessions anywhere at a time and date of your choosing. This allows you to study at your own pace and in your own time.
Once registered, you have three choices for attending your course:
- attend our in-person class sessions in our Hamilton classrooms,
- Zoom in to our live classroom sessions and participate in discussions,
- access the live-recorded class sessions each week. This allows you to register for an entire course, even though the scheduled class session day/time may not be suitable to your schedule. You may also use this option to watch any recorded session for review, or in case you may miss a class session due to prior engagement, being away, or due to illness. This allows you to catch up with any “missed” sessions at a more suitable time.
Once registered, you will receive detailed instructions on how to access our courses via either of the distance-learning options, i.e. live access via Zoom, or watching the video-recorded sessions.
LOCATION: All in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse offices and classrooms temporarily located at 401 Grey Street, Hamilton East, Hamilton. Please enter via the Cook Street entrance (see map below). Those looking for parking for our evening classes can park just in front on the main entrance in any of the available car parks via the Cook Street entrance. On-street daytime parking can be found on Cook Street, Grey Street or around Steele Park. There is a single Disability car park located a few steps from the front door. Plenty of space for bicycles too!
DISTANCE LEARNING: You get to choose your location when you Zoom in to our live classroom sessions, or access our classes at your leisure and at a time and day of your choosing by watching the video recorded sessions from each class. This allows you to study at your own pace.
