Course Catalog - 2021-2022

     

HUMA 128 - WHY DID SO MANY DIE?

Long Title: WHY DID SO MANY DIE? THE U.S. RESPONSE TO COVID-19
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Description: The U.S. response to the pandemic has been a disaster, and will end (if it ends!) with hundreds of thousands dead and tens of millions infected. How did this happen, and who is to blame? The main facts are now largely clear. But how to interpret them is another matter. Is this a story about how China blew up the whole world by being unwilling to admit it was facing a scary epidemic back in December and January? Is it a story about how the White House allowed Americans to die in the name of “saving the economy”? Is it a story about how selfish individuals went to the beach rather than suffer for the collective good, or a story about institutions that worked poorly? Is it all these things? We need to look back and make sense of this calamity.