Contagion! A History Lecture Series at California Lutheran University

Submitted by Ojai Valley Scribe on

The Ventura County Library is proud to co-sponsor Contagion!, a lecture series presented by California Lutheran University.

The COVID-19 pandemic renewed interest in the global history of infectious diseases. This year’s lecture series—presented by History Department faculty and other experts—focuses on different periods in world history when societies faced pandemics and their consequences.

In the first lecture, assistant professor of history Samuel Claussen, PhD, addresses the bubonic plague and its impact on the late Middle Ages, from the 14th to the 16th centuries. The pandemic resulted in cultural and economic crises and transformed medieval European society and culture.

Admission is free, but registration is required and can be done by visiting bit.ly/3j2S2oh. Additional lectures in this series include:

  • Nov. 11: David Livingstone, PhD, “The Seven Deadly Cholera Pandemics”
  • Dec. 9: David Nelson, PhD, “Bubonic Plague in 19th Century China”
  • Feb. 10: Michaela Reaves, PhD, “Smallpox and American Society”
  • March 10: Chris Kimball, PhD, “The First Modern Pandemic: Spanish Influenza”
  • April 21: Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, “COVID-19 and the Effectiveness of Our Response”

The series is sponsored by Cal Lutheran, the Thousand Oaks Library, and the Ventura County Library. It is generously funded in part by a Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation grant. For more information, contact David Nelson at dnelson@CalLutheran.edu.

Nov. 11: David Livingstone, PhD, “The Seven Deadly Cholera Pandemics”

Dec. 9: David Nelson, PhD, “Bubonic Plague in 19th Century China”

Feb. 10: Michaela Reaves, PhD, “Smallpox and American Society”

March 10: Chris Kimball, PhD, “The First Modern Pandemic: Spanish Influenza”

April 19: Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, “COVID-19 and the Effectiveness of Our Response”

Audience