This is a quite interesting activity that will help you to understand how History is always repeating itself (as shown in this special review of Crash Course World History: Disease! - 11:40 minutes)
As it is also quite demanding 3-task activity, it can be done individually or in pairs.
Task 1. Spanish flu historical research. Read carefully the provided sources and underline the most relevant data/information. Them fill in the first column of the provided chart with the summarise information in each category.
Tip: You should watch this overview from CBS Sunday Morning that summarizes the current COVID-19 outbreak in Washington State as of March 8, 2020 and introduces the Spanish Flu of 1918 (The story of the 1918 flu pandemic - length 6:37) or check this terrific historical dossier from CDC (Center for disease control & prevention).
Task 2. Search on Covid-19 sources. Now you must select 6 sources of information (in
English) about the current COVID pandemia and categorized them following the
previous example (scientific, cultural, etc.). Please, include those sources
(text, images or links) in your document with a brief explanation of why you
find them so relevant and representative for stiying this current pandemia.
When finish, fill in the second
column of the previous chart with the summarise information in each category.
Tip: main sources that you can use for starting your research in this
specifical task (do not copy that general links as sources; you MUST choose the
articles or graphics that can be more representative in each category of the
chart):
Washington
Post - New York
Times - BBC – IG @covidartmuseum
Task 3. SETTING UP THE COMPARISON. Now that you have read, research and categorise
sources of information from both pandemias, you have to set up the comparaison
by answering the following question:
To what extent is the Coronavirus outbreak of
2020 similar to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918?
The student thesis should qualify an argument that sets-up a 2 to 1
comparison (2 differences/1 similarity OR 2 similarities/1 difference). The sources and their analysis previously
done should guide their argument structure decisions.
Here is an example of this type of thesis/argument structure model (that
you have to complete and develop properly in a fully argumented answer!): Although the outbreaks have similar global
reach, they differ in their mortality rates and government responses...
This third part can be done in a pdf file (about 25-30 lines) or by filming a short video / Teams conference (about 3-4 minutes).
When finish, send an email with ALL files (chart, covid selected sources and
comparaison) in PDF format (or .AVI if choosing video in the last task) as
attached files to acarriles@educa.jcyl.es. Last day: Friday, 18 February.
Of course, this activity is mandatory and
will be part of the score at the end of the term. If you fail to finish
it, do it out of date, or just copy&paste from a webpage, the mark will be
a 0 for this work.
Ready? Steady?... go!
