Medicine, Healing and Experimentation in the Contours of Black History

Conversations regarding the history of medicine continue to undergo considerable transformation within academia and the general public. The infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment serves as a marker in the historical consciousness regarding African Americans and the medical profession. This course taps into this particular evolution, prompting students to broaden their gaze to explore the often delicate relationship of people of African descent within the realm of medicine and healing. Tracing the social nature of these medical interactions from the period of enslavement through the 20th century, this course examines the changing patterns of disease and illness, social responses to physical and psychological ailments, and the experimental and exploitative use of black bodies in the field of medicine. As a history course, the focus will be extended towards the underpinnings of race and gender in the medical treatment allocated across time and space--the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America--to give further insight into the roots of contemporary practice of medicine.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; BU BA; AS HUM; AS LCD; AS SD I; FA HUM; AR HUM; CFH MH; AS SC; BU Eth

Medicine, Healing and Experimentation in the Contours of Black History

AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES 367H

Section 01