Summer 2020
GVT 180 – Politics in the Era of Global Pandemic
June 15 through August 21, 2020 PSLS Faculty
PSLS Department | 73 Tremont Street
All sections meet together Wednesdays at 4 PM via Zoom with special guest speakers who will speak through The Forum Network, a public media service of WGBH.
Catalog Description GVT 180 – Politics in the Era of Global Pandemic
The COVID-19 global pandemic has upended everyday life around the globe. Governments around the world have declared states of emergency and made extraordinary changes to our social and political lives. While some have posited the virus as “democratic,” statistics tell a different story; it is clear that some groups are more vulnerable to hospitalization and death than others. In the months and years ahead the virus will continue to focus our attention on a range of related structural concerns—public health, wealth and income inequality, racial justice, workers’ rights, the role of the military, climate change, the food production system, national security, education to name but just a few. As ever, politics has shaped the nature of this crisis and politics will continue to shape our response and recovery. COVID-19 has the potential to significantly transform political, economic, and social life in countries around the world. This course will closely follow current events and bring in a range of experts to help us understand this crisis from a variety of perspectives including its global, economic, cultural, and social impact.
Prerequisites: None | Credits: 4
This special course may count as an elective course toward the International Relations major and minor, the Political Science major and minor, and the Politics, Philosophy and Economics major and minor, the Sociology major and minor, and the Criminal Justice major and minor. To secure this as elective credit toward the appropriate major or minor, please contact the department chair or program director to conduct the necessary approval process.
Voting
Suffolk University students vote! Did you know that Suffolk students’ high voting rates are recognized nationally and that Suffolk is classified as a “high-voting-rate campus”? Only 90 of the more than 900 colleges and universities studied were placed in that category! To learn more about voter registration and how you can become a voter, visit http://www.suffolk.edu/suffolkvotes
What you need to bring to class
- Yourself. Your full self, as much as possible. Your willingness to ask questions, share what confuses you, engage with your class community respectfully.
What you need to do
- Attend, prepare for and actively participate in weekly speaker series
- Attend weekly class meetings & participate in all in-class activities
- Attend a Virtual Civic Engagement Activity
- Write 2 blog posts for our shared Politics in the Era of Pandemics Website & comment on those of other contributors
- Contribute a Final Reflection paper to the Moakley Archives Project on Life in the Time of Pandemics
How Many Classes Can You Miss?
As many as you need and as few as you possibly can. Strive for perfect attendance.
We don’t want you to miss any classes because missing even 1 class may have an effect on your learning. We have tried to make each class useful and we have tried to make the activities ones you could not replicate on your own. We have a limited time together so we should use the time well. If you miss class, you will miss stuff. More importantly, we will miss you! Absences detract from the whole class experience for everyone. This is not about whether you are a good person or not. It’s not a value judgment. It’s a judgment about what having this course on your transcript means. What is the point at which it won’t make sense for you to get credit for the course? If you miss more than a week of class, you should get in touch with us and let us know what’s going on so we can make a plan and get you in the best possible shape to be able to pass.
- What should you do if you miss class?
- 1 week of classes: Nothing. That’s fine. Stuff happens. We don’t even need to know anything about it, but we would like you to tell us.
- More than 1 week of classes: Inform us of what’s going on as soon as possible We just need to chat to make sure you’ve got a plan for passing.
Goals and Objectives
| Goals | Objectives | Assessments |
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Students will understand the mechanisms through which social, cultural, or global differences are perceived, understood, and constructed. |
Students will be able to identify the differences related to the area of study in their historical or geographical context. Students will be able to compare different standpoints and perspectives about diverse communities. Students will be able to explain how differences are constructed or reinforced. |
Blog Posts – 750 (or more)-word post containing clear argument, evidence, engagement with readings/assignments/speakers/discussions. Example: Blog Post 1 – identify a single policy response to the Global Pandemic (i.e. social distancing, stay-at-home orders, re-opening strategies) and do the following: 1) Compare two different countries or compare two different states in the United States; 2) Analyze (using evidence) the differential impact of this policy response on different communities (identify two or more particular communities i.e. low-income, racial/ethnic groups, etc.); 3) Consider the impact of such policy responses on these communities in the months/years ahead Blog Post Comments (10, 350 words each) – Students will comment on other student’s blogs. This will be opportunity to see other perspectives, ask questions, and engage. Comments should build on and extend the blogger’s ideas and connect to what you are learning in your courses and field experience. Good comments address the blog by building upon or respectfully questioning or challenging the content, allowing for dialogue. Comments go beyond statements such as, “I agree with…” or restating the main idea of the blog. Consider: What points do you find compelling? What further questions does the post raise for you? How does the post connect with what you leave learned so far? Explain how the blog contributes to your thinking on that issue. For example, does it raise questions about your perspective, or provide more supportive evidence for your thinking? Do you accept the evidence presented in the blog, or question it? Why or why not? Pop-Up Case Assignment: Students become policymakers and must take the perspective of these policymakers as they face a pressing issue in international relations. Student simulate a policy debate and debate policy options to reach consensus to make recommendations to the “president.” See modeldiplomacy.cfr.org. Example: Students will explore the dilemma of how to balance the need for a robust economy to support livelihoods on the one hand with the need to slow climate change and work toward an environmentally sustainable economy on the other. The context of the current recession allows students to consider this long-discussed trade-off in a new light. For example, what impact will such trade-offs have on communities of color? On immigrant communities? On migrants? On displaced workers? Additional assessments include:
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Students will understand the relationships among conflicts, social, cultural or global differences, and power within the changing historical and cultural contexts. |
Students will be able to understand how some specific issues involving conflict and power evolved in a historical or cultural context. Students will be able to explain how privilege and power play a systemic role in how culture is practiced. Students will be able to develop self-knowledge about how different perspectives are active and impactful in your (the student’s) life. |
Final Reflection will ask students to consider how the crisis has impacted their own lives and compare/contrast to how it has impacted their own community compared to other communities (communities may be considered broadly, including geographic distinctions city/town, state, country and racial/ethnic/gender and how these intersect. |
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Students will analyze how convergent or conflicting perspectives of diverse communities influence change within a social, cultural, or global context. |
Students will be able to analyze concepts and constructs taught in class. Students will be able to review and analyze the implications of research in order to apply course content to real classroom/institutional scenarios. |
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Students will become conversant in the essential definitions and concepts of political/social science as well as with the basic science concepts underlying the current pandemic and public health responses. |
Students will be familiar with and able to properly use key terms/concepts related to comparing political systems, such as democracy, authoritarianism, public policy, politics, partisanship, nationalism, populism. |
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Students will learn what types of activities engaged citizens do. |
Students will observe meetings/hearings etc. outside of the seminar speaker series |
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Students will develop the habit of daily news consumption from a variety of robust and reliable sources, including newspapers. |
Students will be able to identify and news sources that explain context and provide reliable information from a wide variety of perspectives, including disciplinary, cultural, ideological, and be able to differentiate fact from opinion. |
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Students will become curious about the world around them and invested in learning more. |
Students will become comfortable asking questions and begin to think about governance and policy as a response to inputs, information & other influences. |
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Student Engagement Hours
To complete this course, students will need to dedicate, at a minimum, the following amount of time:
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Goals |
Objectives |
Assessments |
|
Class Time |
75 minutes X 20 sessions |
25 |
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Weekly News Reading, Podcasts & Multimedia Assignments |
9 hours X 10 weeks |
90 |
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Weekly Speaker Q & A Preparation |
2 hours X 9 |
18 |
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Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection |
10 hours |
10 |
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2 PoP Blog Posts, workshops + comments |
15 hours/blog; 5 hours comments |
35 |
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Moakley Archive Final Reflection |
10 hours |
10 |
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TOTAL |
188 |
Assignments / Grading
|
Assignment |
Weight |
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Active Participation & Attendance |
7 |
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Weekly Speaker Q & A Preparation Assignments |
(9 x 2-points each) 18 |
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2 Blog Posts |
(2 x 15-points each) 30 |
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10 Blog Post Comments & Responses |
(10x 2-points each) 20 |
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Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection |
10 |
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Final Reflection for Moakley Archive |
10 |
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Council on Foreign Relations Pop-Up Case |
5 |
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Total |
100% |
Suffolk University Syllabus Policies
This this course adheres to policies and procedures that apply to all Suffolk courses with regard to disability accommodation, academic misconduct, academic grievance, attendance, and credit hour compliance. The university policies can be found here: www.suffolk.edu/syllabus.
Continuity of Learning
Even though this class will be held on-line, in the case of power or other connectivity issues, you should still be able to access Zoom via the mobile app, so make sure your phone is charged if there is impending bad weather. Sessions will be recorded, so you will be expected to view the recordings should you miss a class or guest speaker for any reason. You are also expected to keep up with the assignments according to schedule. If you have access issues, please check as soon as you are able.
Blackboard
All courses will be conducted through Blackboard, the official Learning Management System of Suffolk University.
Zoom
All course meetings will occur using Zoom and will be scheduled through Blackboard.
Recordings
As a courtesy, all class sessions will be recorded and posted to Blackboard. Owing to the potential for technical difficulties, however, there can be no guarantee that all classes will successfully be recorded. For discussions of sensitive course topics, the professor or any class member may request that the recording be paused for the discussion.
Assignments
Attendance
We will track attendance and base part of your participation grade on your responsiveness when called upon or if you disappear from breakout rooms. We do, however, understand internet access challenges and will accommodate based on one-on-one discussion with you.
Assignment Submission Policy
All assignments must be submitted by 11.59 PM on the indicated due date via Blackboard (BB). SafeAssign will be enabled. Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. Blog posts and comments must also be submitted on-line to the Politics in the Era of Pandemic website https://sites.suffolk.edu/pandemicpolitics/.
Speaker Q & A Preparation
Students will prepare for each of our guest speaker series sessions by reading / watching / listening to all assignments in advance and composing at least 3 thoughtful questions that show that they have 1) engaged with and thought about the material; 2) read the bios of presenters and 3) understand the diverse perspectives and content area expertise they will speak to. These questions will be submitted in advance on Blackboard.
Politics in the Era of Pandemic Blog
Blog Posts
Students will be required to write two blog posts on the Politics in the Era of Global Pandemics Website (https://sites.suffolk.edu/pandemicpolitics/) on issues related to course content that interests them. Topics and case selection are open but must be approved by the instructor. All blog posts will be workshopped by the seminar group throughout the semester, with class meeting time devoted to ongoing work.
- Each post topic idea must be submitted for approval by the instructor two weeks prior to the due date.
- The proposal must include a topic description and preliminary bibliography of at least 3 reputable sources outside of course requirements.
- Completed blog entries will be posted both on the class website and as Blackboard (BB) submissions.
- Students will give brief presentations on their posts to their seminar group and lead Q & A.
Blog Comments
Blog Post Comments (10, 350 words each) –
In addition to creating their own blog posts, students will also be responsible for crafting at least ten thoughtful comments on \ blog posts created by other students throughout the course of the term. This exercise is meant to be a way to engage in a wider conversation and discussion about the topics we explore collaboratively and will be done across all sections of the class. Instructors will also be invited to add comments. Detailed instructions about workshops, guidelines, and sample blogs are available on Blackboard (BB).
Comments are an opportunity to see other perspectives, ask questions, and engage. Comments should build on and extend the blogger’s ideas and connect to what you are learning in your courses and own experience. Good comments address the blog by building upon or respectfully questioning or challenging the content, allowing for dialogue. Comments go beyond statements such as, “I agree with…” or restating the main idea of the blog. Consider: What points do you find compelling? What further questions does the post raise for you? How does the post connect with what you leave learned so far? Explain how the blog contributes to your thinking on that issue. For example, does it raise questions about your perspective, or provide more supportive evidence for your thinking? Do you accept the evidence presented in the blog, or question it? Why or why not?
Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection
Students will be required to engage in at least one civic/political engagement event of their choice during the course of the term and document this with a short reflection essay. The type of event you attend remotely is up to you. It can be a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, a CNN town hall, a global production. The reflection must draw on readings from the class and your own additional research.
Model Diplomacy Pop-Up Case Assignment
Short case study on current events that put students in the shoes of policymakers facing a pressing issue in international relations. See https://modeldiplomacy.cfr.org.
Moakley Archive Project
You will contribute to a project to document how COVID-19 has affected the Suffolk community. Suffolk University joined A Journal of the Plague Year which is a crowd-sourced digital archive of the virus and its impact on everyday life. Recently profiled in the New York Times, the project offers a ready-made opportunity for the Suffolk Community to engage with each other and in the work of public history.
We are interested in stories from the entire SU community about the impact of 2020 pandemic — the shift to remote instruction and learning, studying and working from home, the closing residence halls and campus, methods of coping with social distancing and self-quarantine, starting as a first-year student, and so on. Having a research collection documenting the individual and community impact of this crisis will help future historians, students, scholars, doctors, scientists, and public policy and health experts understand and learn about how our community reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Share your story via this submission form in text, images, video, tweets, texts, Facebook posts, Instagram or Snapchat memes, and screenshots of the news and emails–anything that provides information, inspiration, or insight. Follow the prompts in each field, and be sure to include Suffolk University in the description or title so we can find it! As submissions will be collected now and well into the future. Use this guide to learn more about the project and the different ways to participate.
Email archives@suffolk.edu if you have any questions or need help contributing a story. All items contributed are made under the understanding that everything on this site is publicly viewable online and will be archived in the Moakley Archive’s Suffolk Covid-19 Archive.
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