Course Info

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Course Info for AMST - 482 - 01, Fall 2026
Class number: 3459 Title: History of Medicine Department: American Studies
Career: Undergraduate Component: Seminar Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: No Grading Basis: Regular Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 12 Current enrollment: 7 Available seats: 5
Start date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 End date: Wednesday, December 23, 2026 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: R: 6:30PM-9:00PM, SH - N128 Instructor(s): Miller, Karen
Prerequisite(s): None
Distribution Requirement: Meets Humanities Requirement
Course Description:
We will explore a social and cultural history of American medicine and changing definitions of health, illness, and healing. This course will focus on Connecticut as a case study to investigate developments in medical treatments and institutions, how race/class/gender/disability/sexuality/age and medical practices have shaped each other, and healthcare politics. Connecticut is home to the American School for the Deaf, the Institute for Living, and Yale New Haven Hospital. Residents have experienced outdoor schools, Better Babies contests, and Yellow Fever and other epidemics. We will examine how Connecticut's responses and debates regarding such institutions and events reflected larger medical issues in American society. Students will research the medical collections at the Watkinson, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, and other archives. This course meets the Archival method requirement.