Associate Professor (Teaching) University of Southern California Los Angeles, California, United States
Introduction/Rationale: Communicating the complexities of immunology and infection biology to undergraduate students, many of whom may not be science majors, requires innovative pedagogical strategies that balance rigor with accessibility. To this end, we designed a semester long general education course that integrates foundational scientific concepts with cinematic portrayals of infectious disease, immunity, and medical crises.
Methods: Meeting once weekly, the course provides students with a dual lens: understanding the science of host defense and viral pathogenesis while critically analyzing how cinema— both fiction and documentary-shapes public perceptions of epidemics, vaccines, and biomedical research. The course is structured around thematic modules (e.g., innate and adaptive immunity, HIV/AIDS, vaccines, zoonotic spillover, pandemics, bioterrorism) paired with films such as Contagion, Outbreak, 28 Days Later, and documentaries including Spillover and The First Wave. Students compare narrative cinema with documentary storytelling to interrogate issues of scientific accuracy, cultural framing, and the social dimensions of disease. A guest lecture from a scientist or physician who has collaborated with filmmakers provides a unique opportunity for students to explore the real-world interface between science and media.
Results: We present a detail overview on this interdisciplinary course which emphasizes science communication, training students to critically evaluate media representations of immunology and to translate complex scientific ideas into accessible language for diverse audiences. Assignments include film critiques, debates, and creative projects that connect cinematic depictions of disease and immunity with real-world public health challenges.
Conclusion: By bridging the biomedical sciences with the humanities, this course fosters scientific literacy, media critique, and interdisciplinary thinking-skills that are increasingly essential in an era of global pandemics and widespread health misinformation.
