Please Note!

This syllabus is outdated and is NOT the syllabus for the Fall 2008 semester.

 

You can read the current syllabus inside the BlackBoard 8 shell.  If you are registered for this course for the Fall 2008 semester, you must activate your Student ID and log into BlackBoard 8 (NOT BlackBoard 6) to get your syllabus and other materials.  Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 4553/5553

History of Medicine

Fall 2006

 

 Course Information

 

History 4553/5553, History of Medicine, is a survey of health and medicine from ancient times to the present, sort of a “Hippocrates to HMOs” approach.  We will be looking at one of the oldest concerns of human populations in history from a socio-economic perspective, concentrating on health and illness in their overall context, rather than the "great men in history" approach.  The course is designed as a combination of lectures and discussions.

 

Course materials: You already know this, because you’re reading this page, but for future reference… all materials for distribution for this course will be made available on this webpage or on the BlackBoard component of the class, and will not be handed out in class.  Students are responsible for downloading the information and making their own copies.  To access materials on the web page, do the following;

 

www.clt.astate.edu/randersn

select     Course Offerings

select      History of Medicine

To access BlackBoard:

1.  Every student enrolled in this class automatically is enrolled in the BlackBoard segment and has a BlackBoard account.

2.  To activate your account:

      - Go to the ASU home page and click on "Students"

      - Select "Activate Digital ID"

      -Select "Click here to activate your digital ID"

      - Accept/Submit

      - Fill out the information

3.  You can then use your student login name and your password to access BlackBoard

      - Go to http://blackboard6.astate.edu  (NOTE: There is no "www" in the address)

      -Log in with your user name and password

      - Select the History of Medicine course, and there you are!

 

 

Readings: There are two principal textbooks: Porter's Greatest Benefit to Mankind, and Anderson, Sources in the History of Medicine.  In addition, there are 3 monographs:  Verghese's book, My Own Country is a doctor's account of his experiences treating AIDS in east Tennessee during the early years of the epidemic; Garrett's The Coming Plague gives an engrossing picture of the new pathogens facing humanity and the responses taken to combat them.  Finally, Preston’s very readable The Demon in the Freezer deals specifically with smallpox, a disease believed eradicated in the 1980s, but which has re-entered the news as a possible biowarfare agent.  It is an unsettling book to read, but extremely interesting.

 

Exams: There will be a midterm and a final, both of which will be primarily essay in nature, for which bluebooks will be required.  In addition, there will be two 50 point quizzes, which will be short answer, objective, and vocabulary questions.  All exams must be written in blue or black ink; an automatic deduction of 5 points will be made for using pencil.  Exams will include materials from lectures and readings.

 

Writing Project: Go to the link "Writing Assignment" at the bottom of your syllabus for information.

 

Grades: For undergraduates, the course grade is broken down as follows:

exams and quizzes                              300 points

writing assignment                               100

 

Graduate students: Your grade includes all of the above, plus an additional 100 points for a separate graduate project.

 

Office Hours

 

My office is in Wilson Hall, 109E, located directly behind the History Department.  On MWF, I will normally be around the office unless I am in class.  I am not available on TTH.  My formal office hours are MWF 8:00-9:00, 10:00-11:00, or by appointment.  Since these are “prime time” hours when you may well have other classes, I can also arrange to be in my office from 7:30-8:00 on MWF, before any classes begin; I just need a day or two forewarning.  Unfortunately, I cannot arrange office hours on TTH.  I am more than willing to arrange special appointment times, but do request that you come at the designated time, or call to cancel.  You can also leave me an email at

 

randersn@astate.edu

 

 

 

 

E-Mail Release

 

            As the university becomes increasingly paranoid about potential litigation over violations of privacy, it has apparently become necessary to get a signed release from every student so that instructors can communicate with them by e-mail.  Without that signed release from you, I cannot give you any information at all about the course.  Even with the release, I cannot give you any information about your grade, since e-mails are not private.  Therefore, it is imperative that you all download the E-Mail Release Form linked to the bottom of this page, fill it out, and sign it, and return it to me at your earliest convenience.  I must have the signed forms no later than Sept. 1, 2006.

 

 

Statement on Attendance

 

          History 4/5553 is a senior/graduate course, and is thus not subject to the general university attendance policy.  Nevertheless, I do take attendance quite seriously; it has been my experience of many years that students who miss more than three lectures a semester do not fare well in the class.  Therefore, I do keep informal attendance records, and your absence will be missed.

 

            Students who miss more than six (6) classes will be required to see me during office hours before the next class to discuss their absences.  Habitual offenders (more than 8 absences) will be penalized by point deductions from their final composite score.  PLEASE, plan to attend all class sessions; as upper level or graduate students, you know the importance of attendance.  I would also recommend that you make a friend in the class, a “study buddy” who might be able to supply notes if you do have to miss a class.

   

            If you miss on a day when something is due, such as the various stages of the term project, it is your responsibility to get that material to me on that same day, regardless of circumstances.  You can either send it as an email attachment to my ASU address, or send it with someone, but it must be delivered the day that it is due.  If it is hand-delivered and I am not available to receive it, take it to the History Department and ask them to put it in my mailbox.  Do not under any circumstances slide it under my door – such items are thrown away sight unseen!!  If you are emailing an assignment as an attachment, it must be in either Word or WordPerfect format.  Do not use MS Works – I cannot open those files!

 

            If you miss a quiz or exam, we have a serious problem.  I do not give makeup exams.  Official documentation is required before I will even consider any additional work.  The best solution is to be present for all exams.