6 ECTS credits
162 u studietijd
Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 4023488ENR voor alle studenten in het 1e semester met een verdiepend master niveau.
Pandemics, or diseases that affect very wide areas, are everything but a new phenomenon. This course is organised around the case studies of specific pandemics in four different periods in history. First we will look at the Antonine, the Cyprian and the Justinianic Plagues, which struck the Near East, the Mediterranean and many parts of Europe in the second, third and sixth centuries AD. The second case study will focus on the Black Death, or the 14th-century outbreak of the plague, which, according to some, reduced the population of medieval Europe by half and the world population by one quarter. Next on the list is the smallpox and syphilis pandemics which decimated the original population of the Americas after their conquest by European forces in the sixteenth century. The fourth case study zooms in on the Great Influenza Epidemic (also known as the Spanish Flu), the pandemic which caused devastation between 1918 and 1920 and, allegedly, killed off more people than the First World War. For each of these pandemics, an introductory lecture will set out the historical context of the period. In the other classes of the case study, students will explore original primary sources and secondary literature that tell us about the epidemiology and the spread of the disease as well as its social, economic and cultural consequences.
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Upon completion of the course, students can:
- compare the spread, mortality and impact of pandemics across historical periods and assess their role as agents of historical change
- evaluate the interaction between human agency, the environmental context and structural societal factors throughout history
- assess and reflect critically on primary sources and multidisciplinary secondary literature about historical pandemics
- formulate their insights and reflections in a structured way, both orally and in writing, and can conduct a structured discussion
De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Andere bepaalt 5% van het eindcijfer
HOC Presentatie bepaalt 20% van het eindcijfer
ZELF Paper bepaalt 75% van het eindcijfer
Binnen de categorie Examen Andere dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie HOC Presentatie dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie ZELF Paper dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
The final grade is based on:
-Written final paper of 4000-5000 words: 75% of the final mark. Students need to have a sufficient mark for the final paper in order to pass for the course. Papers that have not been submitted in time will be considered as not submitted (unless decided differently in consultation with the course convenor), which means that the student cannot pass the course.
-Oral presentation: 20% of the final mark. Preparatory reading of secondary literature and primary sources is mandatory for all students but one group of students will be asked to report orally on one piece of literature at the start of the 2nd and 3rd class of each case study.
-Active participation: 5% of the final mark. Active participation in the courses is measured by attendance, having completed the preparatory reading and actively participating in the discussions. Students who fail to attend the 2nd or 3rd class of a case study will be asked to do a replacement assignment.
Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Master in de geschiedenis: Standaard traject
Educatieve master in de cultuurwetenschappen: geschiedenis (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)
Educatieve master in de cultuurwetenschappen: kunstwetenschappen en erfgoedstudies (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)
Educatieve master in de cultuurwetenschappen: wijsbegeerte (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)
Educatieve master in de cultuurwetenschappen: moraalwetenschappen en humanistiek (120 ECTS, Etterbeek)