Course Descriptions

BIOL 39500CV The COVID-19 Pandemic

Session Offered:

Fall Credit 3

Prerequisites:

None

Description:

The course will cover the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2.  It will provide a window onto the intersection of science and society and the challenges created when leaders and the populace are inadequately informed.  We will explore the biology of the virus and the disease caused by it.  The primary literature will be reviewed with the aim of critically evaluating data and understanding the basis of inferences or lack thereof.  Vaccine and antiviral approaches will be discussed.  Historical approaches to pandemics, comparative analyses of responses by countries and states, investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, and various conspiracy theories will be topics of deliberation.  We will see how achieving scientific understanding is a dynamic process.  The COVID-19 scientific literature will be dissected with a focus on publication ethics.

Instructor(s):

DAVID SANDERS

E-mail:

Textbook(s):

Course Format:

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