Political Science 109 - Pandemic Politics: Democracy verses Disease

Pandemics are not accidents. Pandemics develop non-randomly as pathogens exploit vulnerabilities in our political systems, markets, societies, and cultures. Each century has its own pandemics. In other words, pandemics hold up a mirror in which societies can see their true face. What did the Coronavirus pandemic show us about who we are? What vulnerabilities did it expose? What have we learned from it? How did COVID-19 intersect with global problems, such as poverty, exclusion, racism, exploitation, environmental change, inequality, migration, democratic backsliding, and international security? The course uses examples – past and present – from around the world, blending current events and political analysis. We will compare COVID-19 to other pandemics, including the Black Plague, cholera, the Influenza pandemic of 1918, Ebola, SARS, and HIV/AIDS, to understand how pandemics shape politics, markets, societies, culture, and the arts. We will also reflect on how pandemics end and our ability to learn from the past. What are the political legacies of COVID-19? How did the pandemic affect democratic and authoritarian resilience around the world? How did it affect international cooperation?

Studying pandemic politics allows us to tackle big questions of political science in a new light. How do we understand the state-citizen relationship in a democracy in times of crisis? How do we measure success in policy-making? What and whom do we prioritize when the chips are down? What and whom are we willing to sacrifice? What institutions are best equipped for handling global public health emergencies? Do liberal democracies perform better than dictatorships? How does an exogenous shock like COVID-19 impact the international system and the existing balance of power?

This course satisfies requirement 2 for the IR Five-College Certificate. No prerequisites.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Assistant Professor Paul

How to handle overenrollment: Preference will be given to Freshmen, Seniors, and Political Science Majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on readings, communication skills (discussions, oral presentations, written work - both academic and public intellectual/commentary style, online participation and engagement), group work, independent research, staying informed (following, sharing, and commenting current events), developing analytical skills that are portable across a wide range of professional and academic settings (developing an informed opinion on the basis of critical engagement with a set of competing arguments, contributing to a debate, synthesizing existing knowledge/research, categorizing claims, assessing arguments on the basis of real-world/empirical evidence, offering constructive criticism, setting goals for oneself and one's team, developing and implementing action plans, identifying effective accountability mechanisms, developing self-assessment techniques and achieving intellectual independence as a learner, etc.).