COML 3655

Epidemics, Plagues, Contagions

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

For dozens of millennia before COVID 19, humans lived with epidemics and contagious diseases.  Plagues occurred throughout history, and, as we all know too well, viruses do exist.  But, until very recently, literary descriptions (often tied to religious considerations and philosophical determinations) also played a central role in the way population faced and envisioned epidemics.  Moreover, the notion of contagion is not limited to the medical sphere: fear, ideas, and cultural forms are apt to become contagious, in this class, we will focus on the representation of epidemics in modern French and ancient Greek literary texts, ranging from Homer and Sophocies to Maupassant, Camus, Guibert, or Cixous.  In a comparative way, we'll also interrogate other key texts, from authors such as Boccaccio or Mary  Shelley.

When Offered Fall.

Breadth Requirement (HB)
Distribution Category (LA-AS, HST-AS)

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