This project had four main objectives:
- Build students’ confidence in engaging with current events through the media.
- Make meaningful comparisons between the current COVID-19 epidemic (pandemic?) and outbreaks of other viruses.
- Address the role of media and government responses in shaping the course of a disease outbreak.
- Develop text and digital graphics to share with our community in an online platform.
Below are anonymous extracts from student reflections.
“Because COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease, many people have been infected and thousands have died. At first, I thought that the disease was killing everyone infected, but after studying it, I learned that only a very small percentage of people are killed… This taught me the lessons that, although it is important to keep up to date with the news, a lot of the time the true demeanor of the disease is exaggerated.
While learning about AIDS, I discovered that many gay celebrities spoke out about this disease. That surprises me because when I think of the 80’s I picture mostly closeted members of the LGBTQ+ community, however, this is not exactly how it played out. Many people spoke as activists and fought for their medical rights.”
Many people spoke as activists and fought for their medical rights.
“During the 2014-2016 EVD outbreak, the US media overstated the threat of Ebola to the American public. This resulted in a largely misinformed American public, as the majority of media articles did not include scientific information like the incubation period or facts about the process of transmission. This taught me that the media heavily influences the public and that, oftentimes, the media will sensationalize events in order to profit.
I was also surprised to learn that not only were international programs like the UN and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) willing to combat EVD, but also other countries such as China, Cuba, the United States, and the United Kingdom who all provided financial aid to the UN’s containment efforts. To me, this demonstrates the positive effects of globalization. While globalization may allow a disease to travel thousands of miles across the world (like COVID-19), it also allows for the unification of the global community and for people from all walks of life to come together and support each other.”
To me, this demonstrates the positive effects of globalization. While globalization may allow a disease to travel thousands of miles across the world (like COVID-19), it also allows for the unification of the global community and for people from all walks of life to come together and support each other.
“When Ebola had its first outbreak in 2014, there was so much media coverage and frantic actions by the government and population. But since then, there has been barely [any] information in the news about updates on Ebola or any recent outbreaks. This brought the question to me, that if Ebola in the first few months of it’s discovery had media coverage but then died out, does that mean COVID will have the same experience?”
“One fascinating treatment that is in the works for COVID-19 is actually a scientific study which uses EVD treatments in the process of creating a COVID-19 vaccine. While researching COVID-19 I have been able to use a lot of the information to inform my family and those around me on how to stop the spread of COVID-19, as well as the locations of the new outbreaks. I have become more aware of how easily sickness and disease can spread and how just simply washing your hands regularly can prevent a disease from spreading more.”
Simply washing your hands regularly can prevent a disease from spreading more.
“For the group research project, we learned about HIV/AIDS. I did not have any prior knowledge of the disease before the project. I learned a whole lot about the disease and how big of an effect it has on the world. I did not know it caused so many deaths throughout the world. I also learned about how the media and people responded to it. I found it very surprising that hospitals would refuse treatment to gay people just because they have a different sexual orientation. This project has definitely widened my views on many diseases going on throughout the world and makes me want to be a lot more politically aware of what is going on around me.”
“This is not the first pandemic to happen and this is not the last one either. COVID-19 is changing and spreading quickly but that is slightly due to how easily we can travel now and how many people we interact with daily. But in fact the corona virus is not that muh faster at spreading than some pandemics and has killed less than some as well.”
“Learning about Covid-19 and other infections like the flu and HIV has been great because I feel less in the dark about what is going on and because I know so much about Covid-19 I don’t feel the same fear that I would because I now know the death and risk rates.”
“I really enjoyed learning more about the diseases of the past. Also, especially with the fear surrounding COVID-19, a lot of rumors are being spread, and with the knowledge I learned in this class I can better know what to believe and what not to believe. “
“I was familiar with the coronavirus when we began this topic, but now I feel that I’m so well educated about what this means for the world today, that I can talk to anyone about it and know what I’m saying. I not only expanded my knowledge on what COVID-19 is, how to avoid it, and what symptoms are, but also how to analyze public and governmental responses.”
I was familiar with the coronavirus when we began this topic, but now I feel that I’m so well educated about what this means for the world today, that I can talk to anyone about it and know what I’m saying.
“[B]ecause this outbreak is so recent and there is news coming out every day, it was interesting to look at how the media has overhyped the severity and wants everyone to freak out, when in reality the death rate is very low (about 3.4%). … I really enjoyed this project because I feel like I have a good baseline of information that other people don’t have so it will be easier to stay up to date with what is going on in the world.”
” This unit was a lot of fun but also allowed for development in knowledge in an area that we seldom get to discuss in school. This unit enabled me to feel educated about current events and I was able to apply this new knowledge in my group’s EVD project. It was really empowering to be able to tell my family about what all I was learning and to be able to question and counter misconceptions surrounding the viruses. … I found that the ways technology has both helped mitigate diseases but also enabled their spread intriguing. From the way that COVID-19 has migrated through the ease of today’s transportation to how the underdevelopment of the DRC and surrounding area’s transportation has inhibited the disease’s spread.”
It was really empowering to be able to tell my family about what all I was learning and to be able to question and counter misconceptions surrounding the viruses.
“The main and most interesting thing to me is about how the media influences outbreaks or the fear surrounding them. At the start of this COVID-19 outbreak because there was not much known about the virus there was no data being shared, and this made many people fear because of the unknown. Now that there is more known, scientists and doctors are finally starting to share data which is making many people calm down a little bit more. The fear of this virus has made many people panic but there are also many people who do not think that they will be affected. These people do not think about taking precautions. Throughout this time I have seen many people spreading information that has not been backed up by scientific proof, this also leads to panic in other people because they do not know that it can be false.”
“I not only learned a lot about influenza but also was able to compare it to COVID-19, which allowed me to conclude that the two are very similar. The entire globe is panicked about the spread of COVID-19 (thanks to the media) while the mortality rate of the common influenza is often hidden. My hope for the future is that the data of the common influenza is more understood by the public. Another thing that I loved about the virus project is being able to learn about the Spanish Flu and how it affected World War I. It was fun to make connections between what I learned and Downton Abbey.”
My hope for the future is that the data of the common influenza is more understood by the public.
“Starting out learning about COVID-19, helped me know what questions to ask when I began to research HIV/AIDS. I have always been very interested in AIDS, and was very excited to find out I would be researching the history of it and where it all began. Now i feel like I have a very good understanding of the disease itself. I was very surprised to find out that it effected different types of people in the world. In Africa, HIV mainly [affected] heterosexual people, while in the United States, citizens were quick to say that the disease only effected homosexual men. The stigma on HIV/AIDS has stuck and many people still believe this today.”
