GEOG 380
Geographical
Patterns of Health
Professor:
Dr. Jonathan D. Mayer,
Departments of Epidemiology, Geography, Infectious Diseases,
Health
Services, and Family Medicine; Faculty, International Health Program
Tel: (206) 543-7110
Email: jmayer@u.washington.edu
TAs:
Sarah Paige, PhD student in medical geography
Students with last
names beginning with A-J
Office Hours: Smith 417, Thursdays 2:00-4:00pm and by appointment
Email: spaige2@u.washington.edu
Todd Faubion, MA student in medical geography
Students with last
names beginning with K-Z
Office Hours: Smith 411, Wednesdays 10:00-12:00pm and by appointment
Email: tfaubion@u.washington.edu
Listproc for course: geog380a_sp06@u.washington.edu (please remember, for your own privacy, that anything posted to the listproc will go to everybody in the class. This has proven to be an embarrassment to some people in the past, so be cautious!)
A word on academic honesty and integrity is in
order. We will adhere strictly to the rules of the
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm
We assume that each
and every student is familiar with the contents of this web page. No excuses
will be accepted for academic dishonesty.
By submitting a
piece of written work for the course, we assume that you have read the webpage
above, are familiar with the University’s policies on academic honesty, and
agree to abide by them. Thus, no excuses for plagiarism or cheating will be
accepted.
REQUIREMENTS:
Books:
The following books are required for the course.
Robert S. Desowitz,
Robert S. Desowitz, Federal Bodysnatchers and the
Madeleine Drexler, Secret Agents: The Menace of Emerging
Infections.
Susan Hunter, Black
Death: AIDS in
Susan Hunter, AIDS in
Exams:
Two non-cumulative take-home essay exams will be required. You will have a choice of three questions to complete over a one-week period. Each response should be approximately 2 pp. double-spaced in length. In addition, there will be an ePost response required on each book. The ePosts will be worth a total of 20% of your grade, and each take-home exam will worth 40% of your grade.
Course rationale:
Health and disease are not only medical issues, but they are
also social and geographical phenomena. People and groups must always live in
the contexts and constraints of the world that is extraneous to them. Disease
is also a major world problem. Both infectious and non-infectious diseases have
social causes, in part, and also influence societies. This course sets disease
and health within the framework of human-environment interaction.
Course goals and
objectives:
The major goal of this course is to introduce students to
geographical approaches to health and disease, particularly within the setting
of human-environment interactions. We will cover many specific diseases, but in
addition to their inherent interest, each is prototypical of one or more
aspects of environmental equilibrium and disequilibrium.
My educational
beliefs:
Students are inherently curious and seek to understand the
world surrounding them and the world in which they live. These courses, and my
teaching, are both aimed at encouraging the critical analysis of the
human-health-environment relationships. This understanding and analysis must
come from a solid knowledge of the factual, scientific, and conceptual bases
from which such understanding and thinking must come. Some students will find
that this course will contribute directly to their professional development,
while others will find that it provides a basis for understanding issues of
health and disease as citizens in a democratic society, in which we can all help
to determine the course of society. My own role in this course will be
multifaceted. Sometimes I will serve as an authority on the subjects that we
will cover. At other times, I will be a facilitator of inquiry and debate. I
hope that I will always be a resource for your own interests and investigations
as we proceed through the course.
Introduction
Week 1 (Week of March 28)
Fundamental
Concepts of Health and Disease
Disease
Ecology
Week 2 (Week of April 4)
Parasitism
and History; An Introduction
Helminths (“worms”)
Malaria
West Nile Virus and
Week 3 (Week of April 11)
Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis
Schistosomiasis
Tick-Borne Diseases (including Lyme
disease)
Cryptosporidiosis
SARS
Avian Influenza (“Bird Flu”)
Week 5 (Week of April 25)
Foodborne Diseases
Influenza Pandemics
Why do Diseases Emerge? Mostly for Social Reasons!
Reading: Secret Agents, pp.74-289.
HIV/AIDS: Global Perspectives
Week 6 (Week of May 2)
Global Patterns of HIV
HIV in
HIV in
Reading:
Black Death, pp.1-146.
Week 7 (Week of May 9)
HIV and other STIs
Evolution of the Epidemic
Evidence for the African Origin
Reading: Black
Death, pp.147-256.
Week 8 (Week of May 16)
HIV in Asia: Into to HIV in
The Colonial Legacy
Impact of the World Drug Industry
Week 9 (Week of May 23)
Gender and Religion
Impact on Children
Reading:
AIDS in
Week 10 (Week of May 30)
Gender and Poverty in Worldwide AIDS
AIDS Orphans