Miami Presents: The Politics of Vaccination in U.S. History

For more than 15 years, Winter College has provided the opportunity to relive the Miami Experience by returning to the classroom for thought-provoking lectures from Miami’s top faculty and experts. This year, we’re bringing the Miami Experience to you virtually.  Join us at this page for the following special presentation:

Join Dr. Amanda McVety as she explores the political debates surrounding vaccination in the United States, from the beginning of the 19th century to the present. You will pay special attention to the legal battles over the question of the government’s right to require vaccination and examine the deep history of the current anti-vaccination movement. 

MEET THE FACULTY

Dr. Amanda McVety
Professor of History and Naus Family Faculty Scholar

Amanda McVety has been at Miami since 2006. Her interests lie at the intersection of international relations, science and the environment. Her first book, “Enlightened Aid” (Oxford University Press, 2012), examined the history of U.S. foreign to Ethiopia. Her second book, “The Rinderpest Campaigns: A Virus, Its Vaccines, and Global Development in the Twentieth Century” (Cambridge University Press, 2018), is a history of the ultimately successful international effort to eradicate rinderpest (cattle plague). Her new book project explores the history of James Bruce's “Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, in the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771 and 1772.” Dr. McVety teaches courses on international relations and the history of medicine at Miami.