This course covers the major epidemics that have ravaged humanity and attempts to explain how those diseases have shaped who we are as a society. We will discuss the worst of the epidemic diseases as causative agents of change in history, religious traditions, social interactions and technology. The course will include a component that "looks forward” to the technologies that can help us, the interconnectedness that makes us more vulnerable and the politics of dealing with epidemics. We will also discuss bioterrorism threats.