College to offer class focused on COVID-19 pandemic
By Lauren McDonald lmcdonald@thebrunswicknews.com May 27, 2020
Few global issues have received nearly as much attention the last several months as COVID-19.
The coronavirus has made a deep impact on almost every facet of the world. Economies are maimed, health care workers are pushed to their limits and beyond and people everywhere have had to adapt to new ways of going about their daily lives.
Students at College of Coastal Georgia will have the chance this summer to explore the many ways COVID-19 has affected the world in a new version of the college’s Global Issues course.
During the eight-week summer course, which will be offered only online, eight faculty members from different disciplines will each lead a week of discussion. The areas that will be explored include the ways social distancing affect mental health, how the health care system has been impacted, what telehealth looks like, economic impacts of a pandemic and more.
Laura Lynch, curator of the course, suggested the college offer a class focused on a multidisciplinary understanding of COVID-19.
“I, probably like most of us, was reading tons and tons of information about COVID-19,” Lynch said. “I was just thinking, how can we get all this information to our students?”
Global Issues is a one-credit course most students need to graduate. The coronavirus pandemic will be discussed in real time as its impacts continue to be revealed and understood.
“From everything I see and read, it’s clear that this pandemic impacts us in ways we don’t think about and in such a large scope,” Lynch said.
Lynch will be responsible for grading the coursework and organizing final projects. She said she’s comfortable allowing all interested students to take the class rather than limit enrollment.
This is a chance for students to gain a stronger understanding of the crisis affecting not only their community but the entire world, she said.
“I hope they take away a better understanding of what’s going on in the world,” she said. “And hopefully it clarifies some misconceptions that are out there.”
Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published in The Brunswick News.