Please note: This course has been revised to an honors level.
This Epidemics class takes students on a quest to investigate the origins, distribution and interventions of one of the most fascinating and concerning aspects of disease, epidemics. The first half of the semester, students will explore the historical roots of epidemiological thinking and its contribution to the evolution of the scientific method. They will develop and use models to explain different modes of disease transmission and analyze data focused on the distribution of disease by person, place and time to generate hypotheses related to the patterns of disease. “How does disease spread?” “Who is at risk?” and “Why are some people getting sick while others remain healthy?” are some of the key questions students will answer as they learn about descriptive epidemiology.
In the second term, students will work as epidemiologists or “disease detectives'' as they investigate a public health outbreak. Students will test hypotheses to determine if exposure to risks has a beneficial or detrimental effect on disease outcome. After identifying interventions to control and prevent health problems in a community, students will understand the role of political, social and scientific factors in improving population health. Finally, students will evaluate and communicate information about various career paths in public health as well as the applications and benefits of public health for a healthy society.
This semester-long epidemics course will engage students through hands-on, student centered, real world case studies, videos, group activities, modeling and virtual simulations. Students will use their scientific investigation skills to collect, organize, graph and analyze epidemiological data to identify patterns in the distribution of disease. Students will utilize critical thinking skills to evaluate methods to detect, prevent, cure and minimize disease in a population and construct arguments based on evidence to assess strengths and weaknesses in disease mitigation strategies.