2023-2024 Academic Catalog

Nov 27, 2024

2023-2024 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PHIL 104 - AIDS to COVID: Ethics and Pandemics

Like HIV/AIDS, the global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our scientific and medical system, our local and national governments, our concern for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations, and, especially, our understanding of human rights and public health ethics. This seminar will explore the biological, epidemiological, moral, medical, social, and political dimensions of both pandemics and ask: What did we do right? What did we do wrong? Did we learn anything from the AIDS pandemic, or have we made the same mistakes all over again?

There is a pre-arrival (summer) reading assignment for this seminar: Randy Shilts’ And the Band Played On. It is a gripping story, full of heroes and villains, and it will get our seminar (and your semester) off to a smooth start.

Prerequisites: VE Placement or IDND 018

Course Designation/Attribute: VE, DI

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered every year