Controversies in the History of Medicine



Overview

The history of medicine is not a straightforward story of scientific progress. It is entangled with culturally specific notions of health and medicine that have varied enormously between societies, as well as within them, giving rise to debate, conflict and controversy.

Using a variety of examples drawn from global and cross-cultural contexts, this course explores controversial issues in the history of medicine and healthcare. The course focuses mainly on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but examples will be explored from the medieval period to the present day. The course surveys the broad history of healthcare, including topics such as infectious diseases, reproductive health, mental health, politics, and controversies in practice and funding.

We will also consider how the history of medicine has been researched and written, by critically considering debates by historians and scholars from various academic disciplines that have engaged with this topic.

This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

​​​​​​This course begins on the 15 Jan 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 22 Jan 2026, 7:30-8:30pm (UK time).

Please note that there will be a reading week (no live class) on 12 March 2026. 

  1. COVID and lockdowns: the longer history of quarantine
  2. Vaccination resistance
  3. Why did mortality from infectious diseases decline in the 19th and early 20th centuries?
  4. The medicalisation of maternity care
  5. Population control
  6. The untreated syphilis study at Tuskegee
  7. Antipsychiatry
  8. Whistle-blowing
  9. Politics and world health
  10. Funding health care

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online course are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £360.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Rosemary Cresswell

Dr Rosemary Cresswell is a historian of health, humanitarianism, charity and voluntarism from 1850-2020. She is currently writing the History of the British Red Cross, 1870-2020: Health and Humanitarianism, to be published by Bloomsbury. Rosemary has also published further research related to infectious disease, first aid, the Red Cross, and on the history of nursing.

Read Rosemary's full academic bio.

Course aims

This course aims to:

  • Explore the diverse history of medicine and healthcare in global and cross-cultural contexts
  • Engage students with research from a range of interdisciplinary approaches, including history, medicine and health care, anthropology, ethics, law, politics, social policy and sociology
  • Develop communication skills in academic history

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  1. Build knowledge of controversial themes in medical and healthcare history by understanding that transitions in medical theories and practice may not be straightforward for practitioners, patients or wider society
  2. Evaluate, compare and contrast the arguments of historians and other academics by analysing their research and evidence
  3. Communicate understanding of the course through an assignment written in the style of an academic undergraduate history essay

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

IT requirements

Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support