Disciplines/Subjects: History, Political Sciences
Key Themes: Pandemics, History, Virus, Bacteria
Speaking of the aftermath of COVID-19, Melinda Gates believed that “this pandemic [had] magnified every existing inequality in our society — like systemic racism, gender inequality, and poverty.” Gates had made a critical point that diseases and societal tensions are rarely separated. Indeed, there is a reason that we call perpetual social issues, social ills.
Where is this global pandemic leading us? What effect - social, political, and cultural - will it create? How do we, as a collective, prevent the next pandemic? We are still amid the torrent to produce a clear vision of the future, so let's pause, and look back in history.
For this project, you are expected to create two history magazines (May edition, 2024) catering to students in Grades 5 and Grades 7-8, respectively. Your goal is to introduce and delineate the causes and effects of five pandemics — plague, smallpox, Malaria, Influenza, and HIV/AIDS — to your audience. Keep in mind that you need to demonstrate:
the biological and social causes of pandemics
the social, political, and cultural effects of pandemics
more crucially, the awareness of your audience's ability to read and understand your message
Individually, you will also submit a 1200-word essay discussing the causes and effects of your chosen pandemic.
Habits of mind: Curiosity, Continuous learning, Empathy, Strive for excellence
Transferable skills: Using Sources, Writing Communication
Content Knowledge: The creation of empires, the Great Divergence