WHY LEARN ABOUT THE PANDEMIC AS WE LIVE THROUGH IT?

Teaching about a crisis as we experience it is a sensitive undertaking.  We are already experiencing a range of strong emotions and attitudes: fear, concern, confusion, denial, dismissal, anger, frustration and likely more.  We watch as events unfold, and even as many were predicted, it may be shocking to observe nonetheless.  School should be a refuge, where we collaborate to learn and prepare to be intellectually and financially secure.  It's a place where teachers promise their students: 'no matter what is happening outside of these walls, we'll provide you a safe environment to learn freely and joyfully.'  

It's hard to block out Covid-19; the simple fact that you are learning from home is an ever-present reminder.  Instead, let's use this experience to fortify our resilience with understanding and mutual support.  Especially in a Global Leadership course, I believe that we empower ourselves by identifying the missteps we observe in real time and clarify those lessons as we prepare for a life of global engagement and leadership. 

The pandemic is not simply the transmission of a virus.  It's the amalgamation of political decisions, social movements, the production and distortion of information and a test of institutions and infrastructure.  More than ever, I look forward to learning together, sharing ideas and strengthening our learning community.

proposed topics

RESOURCES
  1. Understanding Covid-19: Origin and transmission of a novel virus
  2. Managing a pandemic: Learning from the past
  3. Managing Covid-19: What is effective?  What is not?
  4. Vulnerability, inequality, social solidarity: high risk groups, mental health, and stigma
  5. ​Communicating safety, ignoring hazard: Public heath and politics
  6. Business and economy: Impact of the pandemic on markets and work
  7. Democracy and authority: balancing rights with public safety
  8. Preparing for the next pandemic
  9. Denial and myopia: harbinger for climate change preparation?

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