The impact of the rapid spread of COVID-19 has been felt throughout the world with more than 5.1 million infections, and 331,000 deaths. The fallout from a deadly pandemic and a contracted global economy of this magnitude has revealed the deep fissures of existing and chronic inequalities in the world along the dimensions of race, class and age, job security, capacities of overburdened public health systems, limited ability for local economies to withstand shocks and risks, access to technology and digital divides, governance, emergency preparedness and coordination at multiple levels of government. This course will explore the big questions raised by the global pandemic through an interdisciplinary lens of critical inquiry and analytic frameworks that will bring in perspectives from the social sciences, humanities, and STEM fields. The instructors for this course will represent diverse departments and Schools at Hunter, and will offer readings and interpretations from their disciplinary focus that is required to gain a holistic understanding of the crisis, responding to the aftermath, and preparing for the future.

The course meets on Tues./Thurs., 11:40 AM - 2:00 PM (Online) with multiple Hunter faculty from across various disciplines: 

Yarimar Bonilla, Africana, Puerto Rican and Latino Studies; Partha Deb, Economics; Ruth Finkelstein, Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging & Public Health; Peter Marcotullio, Geography and Environmental Science; Ellen McCabe, School of Nursing; Sandford Schram, Political Science; William Solecki, Geography and Environmental Science; Shyama Venkateswar, Public Policy Program; Catherine Voulgarides, Special Education; and Stephanie Woolhandler, Public Health.