This course focuses on three examples of contagious disease outbreaks and the varied responses to each, affording a historical analysis that highlights the significance of the context of place and time: the London plague of 1665, the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721 and the San Francisco plague of 1900-1907. In each of these cases, political and financial vested interests, cultural and economic diversity of impacted populations, and misgivings regarding scientific and medical approaches shaped the response to and outcome of the spread of contagion. Participants will explore how these factors illuminate the constancy of human nature in the midst of crisis.