A pandemic does not take place in a vacuum: neither the 1918-1919 one nor the 2020 covid pandemic. As a result, the ARTHUM 1020E class taught by Professor DeLooze chose to investigate the 1918-1919 pandemic in conjunction with other aspects of society: Indigenous peoples, soldiers, women, health-workers, black communities (especially in the USA), anti-maskers, etc. The students did archival research and then produced their results in whatever creative form they wished.
In many instances the parallels with our current situation are self-evident. One of the results of the investigations is an awareness of the interconnectedness of events in our society – a century ago, just as now. Another of the positive aspects of delving into the past is that one discovers that few events, even calamities, ever happen for the very first time. The timeline of humanity is long indeed. Terrible as the 1918-1919 pandemic was, the world passed through it and then continued forward. Surely, we will too.
ARTHUM 1020E
Professor DeLooze
SASAH'S 2020 Cohort