Library of Congress, and Sponsoring Body Library of Congress. Geography and Map Division. GIS Day: Mapping the Pandemic Cases, Traces & Mutations. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -11-18, 2020. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2024697221/.
For almost everyone who experienced the pandemic (2019–2020), this source would be a valuable tool to help contextualize what went on in each state in the United States. Tying what went on during the pandemic with the useful tool of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows students to see different ways that this tool can be used, beyond a science or social studies classroom.
"GIS Day 2020: Mapping the Pandemic Cases, Traces & Mutations" provides an engaging exploration of how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to track the spread and mutation of COVID-19. The video offers a technological perspective on pandemic management and visualizes data to foster an understanding of societal and global health impacts. By integrating mapping tools and historical documentation, the resource creates a bridge between past and present approaches to crisis management.
This resource is ideal for interdisciplinary analysis, pairing well with medieval texts like The Poem of the Cid and The Song of Roland, as well as recent novels like Station Eleven and Zone One. Students will explore themes of resilience, faith, and societal transformation, gaining insights into the interconnectedness of history, technology, and literature.
This digital resource from the Library of Congress offers a rich historical analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The video explores how mapping technologies were used to trace cases, mutations, and societal impacts of the pandemic. It fosters a connection between contemporary pandemic responses and historical crises, emphasizing the role of technology in understanding and managing global health challenges. By pairing this resource with world medieval texts such as The Poem of the Cid and The Song of Roland, alongside recent works like Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven and Colson Whitehead's Zone One, students can examine the continuity of human responses to pandemics across time. This interdisciplinary approach highlights the interconnectedness of history, literature, and technology, emphasizing societal values, resilience, and moral philosophy.
- How do medieval and modern texts reflect societal responses to pandemics and crises?
- How does the study of pandemic mapping deepen our understanding of global interconnectedness and resilience?
- How do Catholic values inform our understanding of ethical and compassionate responses to crises?
- How can GIS data and historical documentation help us visualize and analyze the societal impact of pandemics across different eras?
UCLA-Historical Thinking Standards, ELA Common Core State Standards, and USCCB Standards for Catholic Schools
Standard 4: Formulate historical questions from encounters with historical documents, eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries, artifacts, photos, historical sites, art, architecture, and other records from the past.
- Connection: Students evaluate GIS data and historical pandemic responses alongside literary depictions of pandemics to explore societal impacts and ethical responses.
RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- Connection: Students compare themes of resilience and societal change in The Song of Roland and Station Eleven, citing textual and historical evidence.
RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text.
- Connection: Students explore recurring themes of survival, faith, and human response in medieval and modern literary works.
RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text.
- Connection: Students analyze GIS data and historical documents, integrating these with literary narratives to evaluate societal patterns.
Faith and Social Justice: Standard 4: Reflect on Catholic teachings about dignity, compassion, and service to the marginalized.
- Connection: Students analyze societal and individual responses to pandemics through a faith-based lens, focusing on the role of compassion and community support.
Literature and Theology: Standard 7: Analyze how literary works reflect the human search for God and understanding of suffering.
- Connection: Students discuss themes of faith and perseverance in literary depictions of pandemics.
Historical and Cultural Literacy: Standard 5: Evaluate how historical events and cultural artifacts shape societal values.
- Connection: Students explore the cultural implications of historical pandemics through interdisciplinary analysis of GIS data, maps, and literary works.
- Comparative Literature Analysis: Pair medieval texts with modern literature to explore how pandemics are documented and represented in storytelling across eras.
- Interactive GIS Analysis: Guide students through GIS data to trace the geographic spread of pandemics and their societal impacts.
- Socratic Seminars: Facilitate discussions on resilience, community, and ethical responses to crises using evidence from GIS data, historical documents, and literary texts.
- Faith-Based Reflections: Encourage students to draw connections between Catholic teachings and societal responses to pandemics, fostering discussions on service and compassion.
- Creative Projects: Have students create their own pandemic narratives or GIS maps, reflecting on historical and modern experiences.
This resource’s focus on pandemics may evoke emotional responses, particularly for students personally affected by COVID-19 or similar crises. Educators should approach discussions with sensitivity and provide a supportive environment. Additionally, the inclusion of religious perspectives may lead to objections from those preferring a secular focus. Including alternative sources and framing the material within an interdisciplinary and historical context can address such concerns.
- Fighting COVID, Denver, Colorado. Colorado United States Denver, 2020. -10-24. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2023696403/.
- This photo provides an alternative to the GIS video in that it humanizes the healthcare workers and what they had to go through during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cecilian, John, photographer. Learning from home during COVID. United States, 2020. -09-14. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2023696226/.
- This is a photo many teachers can identify with if they were teaching in 2020 and 2021.
- The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer: A medieval collection of stories that provides insight into societal values and human behavior during times of crisis.
- The Book of Margery Kempe: A medieval autobiographical text reflecting personal and societal responses to suffering and spirituality.
- World War Z by Max Brooks: A modern fictional narrative that uses an oral history format to explore global responses to a pandemic.
- CDC Interactive Pandemic Data: A resource for exploring real-time and historical pandemic data to complement GIS mapping technologies.
- Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney: A historical exploration of one of the deadliest pandemics, providing context and parallels to current global health crises.