Teaching and Debating from a Critical Global Perspective
COVID-19 is a pandemic that is global in nature. It is not only a medical phenomenon but has social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions. Its human effects – particularly distributional consequences – are shaped by economic and political drivers. This is a moment when our critical and global perspectives on urgent social challenges has never been more important. Historical analyses of pandemics and society are replete with insights. Multi-country analyses of its spread, national policy responses, its consequences on poverty and inequality must inform the design of short and long term strategies to address the issue and to prevent recurrence. The pandemic is already revealing the asymmetries of power in 21st century capitalism where economic and political power is concentrated in large corporations and large countries leaving households and workers vulnerable. This global problem requires local and global solidarities. While COVID-19 reveals huge holes in our current arrangements for global governance, it is also a time to promote out of the box thinking for strengthening international cooperation and new forms of multilateralism.
Starting immediately and continuing into the fall, SGPIA will be engaging with COVID-19 as a new lens for the study of international affairs through analysis, online events, summer and fall 2020 courses, and community-based reflections. Please check back often for updates.
The New School’s Coronavirus Information Page
SPE COVID-19 Resources (for current Schools of Professional Engagement students, faculty, and staff)
Pandemic Discourses: A Global Contagion Demands Global Perspectives
The blog is a collaboration between the India China Institute and the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs at The New School. It is co-edited by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Manjari Mahajan, and Mark W. Frazier.
- An Introduction by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Manjari Mahajan, and Mark W. Frazier
- Can a Virus Accelerate Change in Africa? by Carlos Lopes
- Hostages of Mobility by Biao Xiang
- The Pandemic and the Challenges of the Multipolar Order: A View from the South by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Celso Amorim
Analysis
- Sakiko Fukuda-Parr and the efforts for a “People’s Vaccine” for COVID-19 (May 15, 2020)
- Grace Ren, “COVID-19: Exposing & Exacerbating Global Inequality” (April 28, 2020)
- Nina Khrushcheva, “The Fog of COVID 19 War Propaganda” (April 27, 2020)
- Richard Wolff, “The coronavirus crisis exposes the absurdity of perpetually trying to repair capitalism” (April 24, 2020)
- Peter Hoffman, “Whose WHO?” (April 23, 2020)
- Peter Hoffman, (International Horizons, Ep. 3) “Would the World be Any Better Without the UN?” (April 18, 2020)
- Juan Manuel González, “COVID-19 as an agent of social change: a multi-country analysis” (April 14, 2020)
- Gabriel Crespo, “Taking Care of Children During a Global Pandemic” (April 6, 2020)
- Peter J. Hoffman, “Five Thoughts on COVID-19 and International Affairs” (March 29, 2020)
Student Work
- Alex Somerville Brown, “Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Movement and COVID-19” (May 5, 2020)
- Joshua Wallman, “The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic in South Africa” (April 28, 2020)
- Eden Turner, “Disaster Capitalism and COVID-19” (April. 28, 2020)
- Sameer Jamal, “News Coverage and International Media in East Africa” (April 28, 2020)
- Carmen Soto Diaz, Wendy Vazquez & Hanna Torrefranca, “How Puerto Rico, Iran, and Greece are facing COVID-19 through the lens of media, culture and politics” (April 21, 2020)
- Soukie Dia, “Comparing Pandemics: HIV/AIDs vs. COVID-19” (April 21, 2020)
- Evelina Dahlgren, “Are Critics Rightfully Claiming the Swedish COVID-19 Strategy to be of the ‘Russian Roulette’-Style?” (April 21, 2020)
- Michael de Vulpillieres, “Coronavirus: A Survey of French Media Coverage” (April 14, 2020)
- Natalia Molina Ballester, “State Surveillance and Coronavirus Pandemic” (April 14, 2020)
- Claire Harlan, Kristian Keene, & Jonique Lyles, “Indigenous Needs, Responses, and Coverage Amongst COVID-19” (April 7, 2020)
Courses
Summer 2020:
- (NINT 5461) COVID-19: Agent of Social Change: A Multi-country Analysis
- (NINT 5463) Cities Responding to Global Emergencies
Fall 2020:
- (NINT 5465) Global Pandemics in an Unequal World: Learning from COVID-19
- (NINT 5325) Global Health Governance: Histories, Politics, & Knowledge Production
- (NINT 5448) Emerging Issues in International Affairs: The New Silk Road
- (NINT 5469) Decoding the News Media: Imagining America, its Crises & Covid-19
Community Resources
- SGPIA’s Tea Time Tuesdays (Weekly, 5.30-6.30)
- SGPIA reading during COVID-19: What are you reading this week?
- Project Syndicate, “Notes from Lockdown” (April 29, 2020)
- Medium, “History, Politics, and Global Connectivity: Recommended Reading, Part 4” (April 28, 2020)
Events
- OLA Webinar: Cities and COVID-19: New Directions for Urban Research and Public Policies (April 29 & 30 @ 10 – 10.30)
- SGPIA Monthly Webinar Series: Global Pandemics in an Unequal World
- Webinar 1, April 28: COVID-19 and Global Inequality; video available on The New School Youtube page
- Webinar 2, May 28: Global Access to Vaccines: The Politics of Negotiations and the Global South; register online
- Equity for Chlidren Webinar: Poor Families and Children Facing the COVID Challenge (April 15, 2020)