ENGL 55.21 Epidemics: Vortex of Fear and Wisdom

This course will focus on learning difficult lessons of experiential wisdom from global Infectious Disease Epidemics 1982-2020, including through on-the-ground experiences, literature, and documentaries. Students will reflect and write about insights that may apply to their own lives.

Epidemics are characterized by fear. Fighting epidemics requires the courage to act in the face of that vortex of uncertainty and fear, the empathy and compassion to understand and feel motivated to alleviate suffering, the imagination to figure out the possible paths of action, and the cognitive and emotional skills need to actually take action.  The experiential wisdom it takes to act well in such fearful and uncertain circumstances is the framework of this course. The Smithsonian Museum Exhibition on Epidemics will be presented.

             As the faculty of this course we believe that each generation should help transmit the experiential wisdom to the next generation to help fight the fear linked with all types of epidemics near and far, large and small.

Degree Requirement Attributes

LIT

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No course group assignment.