Essential Questions
- Which diseases have caused the most significant epidemics in world history?
- What are the political and social conditions that have been most conducive to the spread of epidemic diseases?
- How can historians and political scientists use their knowledge of these conditions to help prevent the development of future pandemics?
Concepts/ Content
The students will know and understand…
- The most important pandemics in world history, from ancient times to the present
- The role of governments in stopping, or helping to spread, diseases within their borders
- The role of doctors and organizations, including Partners in Health, in helping to prevent future pandemics
Skills
The students will be able to…
- Understand the extent of past pandemics in world history
- Analyze the effect that government policy can have on poor and marginalized individuals in societies as epidemic diseases spread through communities
- understand the importance of good government in preventing the spread of such diseases
Learning Activities
Two Carrollton students from the school’s Social Studies Honor Society (SSHS), Sydney Sariol and Tanya Eathakotti, will convene a panel on the subject, for which they will invite both local and national experts on epidemic diseases for a discussion of their history, as well as the political and social conditions that contributed to, or helped to stop, these diseases from spreading.
The students will be coordinating the efforts to find and invite these experts, and a full list will be available once these invitations have been made.
Resources
- Inevitable or avoidable? Despite the lessons of history, the world is not yet ready to face the next
- The Black Death
- A Short History of Yellow Fever in the US
- The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: A Digital Encyclopedia
- And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
- SARS 10 Years Later: Are We Better Prepared for Outbreaks?
Goals and Criteria
Foundational Principles, Goals and Criteria
Goal Three: Educate to a social awareness which impels to action.
- The school educates to a critical consciousness that leads its total community to analyze and reflect on the values of society and to act for justice
- The school offers all its members opportunities for direct service and advocacy and instills a life-long commitment to service.
- The school is linked in a reciprocal manner with ministries among people who are poor, marginalized and suffering from injustice.
- In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible citizens locally, nationally, and globally.
- The school teaches respect for creation and prepares students to be stewards of the earth’s resources.