GEN2009 Battles in a Contagious World: Challenges of Global Public Health

Department

Social Science

Semester

AY2016/17 Sem 2, AY2016/17 Summer Sem, AY2017/18 Sem 2, AY2018/19 Sem 2, AY2018/19 Summer Sem, AY2023/24 Sem 1, AY2023/24 Sem 2, AY2023/24 Summer Sem, AY2024/25 Sem 1, AY2024/25 Sem 2

Method

Lecture 3 hours

Cluster

3 (Science and Technology)

Prerequisite

GEN1000 Perspectives on General Education

Exclusion

Nil

Module Description

The module examines the origin and impact of infectious diseases in our vibrant world since the fourteenth century, and how the development of modern medicine helped to safeguard public health. The module attempts to explore the scientific, technological, socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and geopolitical aspects that led to the emergence and control of global epidemics. Through various case studies, students will learn about how diseases in the past changed the face of the world forever. Topics cover medieval epidemics, early modern transcontinental exchanges, imperialism, global conflicts, emerging infectious diseases of the twenty-first-century such as SARS, influenza, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and bioterrorism. Important scientific breakthrough such the invention and mechanism of vaccines and antibiotics will also be discussed.

Module Intended Learning Outcomes (MILO)

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
a. examine how epidemics have shaped our world
b. evaluate the globalization’s role in facilitating the emergence of global infectious diseases
c. apply various scientific, technological, economic, historical, and political approaches to critically analyze the evolution of global contagion
d. reflect upon and critically consider the implications of contemporary global health challenges to our society

Module Content

1. Science, scientific methods and research ethics
2. Contagion and the immune system
3. Battling contagion: technological advancement in medicine
4. Vector-borne diseases and killer plague
5. Imperialism, smallpox and disease eradication
6. Airborne infections, killer flu and pandemics
7. Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and Africa’s HIV/AIDS problem
8. Threats from emerging infectious diseases (EID)
9. Contagion and bioterrorism
10. Contagion and social transformations

Assessment Methods

1. Class participation and discussion (10%)
2. Group presentation (20%)
3. In-class quiz (20%)
4. Individual final essay (50%)

Texts & References

1. Ali, S. H., & Keil, R. (2008). Networked disease: Emerging infections in the global city. Malden, MA; Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Barnett, T., & Whiteside, A. (2006). AIDS in the 21st Century: Disease and globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
3. Barry, J. M. (2005). The great influenza: The epic story of the deadliest plague in history. New York: Penguin Books.
4. Bashford, A., & Hooker, C. (2001). Contagion: Historical and cultural studies. London: Routledge.
5. Farmer, P. (2005). Pathologies of power: Health, human rights, and the new war on the poor. Berkeley: University of California Press.
6. Harrison, M. (2004). Disease and the modern world: 1500 to the present day. Cambridge; Malden, MA.: Polity.
7. Lewis, M. J., & Macpherson, K. L. (2007). Public health in Asia and the Pacific: Historical and comparative perspectives. Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.
8. Price-Smith, A. T. (2009). Contagion and chaos: Disease, ecology, and national security in the era of globalization. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
9. Price-Smith, A. T. (2002). The health of nations: Infectious disease, environmental change, and their effects on national security and development. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.