Course Description


P9740   Privacy and Surveillance, 3 points

What can history contribute to public health policy? Is history a luxury or a necessity?
What are the different ways in which we leverage history in the policy arena? What are its different uses? How do we move from history to policy? How does it differ from ethics or law? These are the overarching questions that are woven throughout this course, indeed, the history and ethics program as a whole. We will tackle them through the particular history of disease surveillance—the radar of public health that provides the basis for both State understanding and action—and privacy—which has become a core civil right deemed central to both autonomy and personhood.

Against this historical backdrop we will explore three contemporary case studies at the intersection of surveillance and privacy. Here we will build on the historical foundation we have laid by analyzing and addressing those policy challenges. For these sessions, students will write thorough policy memos drawing on specific readings for those cases and readings from prior sessions. Guidelines for memo writing and sample memos are available via Courseworks (note that your memos may be one page longer than the examples provided).