The central question of this course addresses why and how deadly and catastrophic disease outbreaks continue to occur in animal and human populations despite scientific and technological advances. This "big question" will allow students, who are themselves members of society and are individuals with various backgrounds, to explore, analyze, investigate, discuss, and critique various types of information and use this information to gain a better understanding of how and why disease outbreaks occur and develop new or improved methods to prevent and control these outbreaks.