290020 SE Bachelorseminar Human Geography: Geographies of health: Why here and not there? (2019S)

Human history has been shaped, and continues to be shaped, by infectious diseases. Among them, pandemics are large-scale outbreaks of infectious disease that can greatly increase morbidity and mortality over a wide geographic area and cause significant economic, social, and political disruption. As an introduction to the geography of health, this course will examine the factors that have specifically contributed to pandemics in the past and continue to do so. We will reflect upon case studies by looking across the past century of pandemics (Plague, Cholera, Influenza, Malaria, HIV/Aids, Ebola …).
Have we learnt from the past? Are we better prepared for the epidemics and pandemics of the future? Evidence suggests that the likelihood of pandemics has gained ground over the past century because of increased global travel and integration, urbanization, environmental transformation and climatic change…
The seminar will enable students to learn the basic knowledge of disease ecology and health geography through the understanding and exploration of key case studies.
The working methods used in the seminar will include joint analyses and discussions of relevant academic materials, own research of scientific sources, in class presentation of research results, and the writing of a term paper. Cooperative methods of working will be used whenever adequate and possible.