IB 361: Ecology and Human Health (3 credits, every spring semester)
In IB 361, we explore the emergence of infectious diseases and other human health issues from an ecological perspective, including major disease outbreaks in human history, the role of pathogens and parasites in community and population ecology, food webs, and ecosystem functioning, and the ecology of the human microbiome. Attention is placed on how human-mediated global change (such as habitat loss and climate change) impact human health and the ecosystem services upon which humans depend.
IB 230: Pandemics (2 credits, second-half of every fall semester)
Pandemics (global outbreaks of infectious disease) are among the most impactful events in human history. Through this 8-week online course, we will study the major historical and modern pandemics from a biological, social, and political perspective. We will compare these past events to the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and use this knowledge to interpret events and scientific discoveries related to pandemics.