Michael Goyette (Eckerd College)
This presentation reflects upon my experiences teaching a unit on ancient pandemic narratives (e.g., Hippocrates, Thucydides, Procopius) in a course titled ‘Language and History of Medicine’ at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring semester of 2020. I also address my work developing another course, ‘New Diseases in History and Literature’, to be taught during Spring 2021. In both cases, I examine the pedagogical and ethical challenges associated with teaching such content during a time of medical crisis, widespread hardships, and escalating societal uncertainties—along with the pedagogical opportunities that such situations can impart. The synchronicity of teaching ancient accounts of plague during a time of pandemic can produce teaching moments that are at once poignantly relatable and profoundly emotionally charged, and the dynamic nature of such circumstances may provide instructors with little time to process and prepare to navigate this delicate dynamic. I explain some of the pedagogical strategies I have found helpful in managing these challenges, and I argue that they can have wider applications for teaching other types of potentially sensitive content (beyond pandemics or medical histories) that may come up in classics classrooms. Such content could include racism, misogyny, classism, xenophobia, and other forces of marginalization in the ancient world that might resonate with current events and/or the lived experiences one’s students.
I focus on the challenges of developing assignments and class discussion topics that are meant to foster critical investigations into ancient plague narratives—and their relevance to the present pandemic—while simultaneously taking care not to demoralize or traumatize students. In rapidly evolving circumstances such as the outbreak of a pandemic, I emphasize the importance of knowing one’s own students and their readiness to engage with pertinent content, and I note how useful electronic polls and repeated check-ins can be in evaluating these concerns and conveying the conscientiousness of one’s approach. I also describe my process of adapting certain learning outcomes and goals, and the revisions to readings and assignments I implemented midway through the semester, such as the addition of a “Pandemic Journal” intended to help students process their experiences and draw meaningful connections with course content. Similarly, I relate my methods of incorporating lessons on “pandemic vocabulary” derived from Greek and Latin (e.g. fomite, incubation, vaccine, coronavirus), including their etymologies and word histories, as a way to enhance students’ “pandemic literacy” while serving course goals related to medical terminology. I also relate how I highlighted the work of student EMTs and other medical personnel enrolled in the course, making these students themselves a resource for other class members. Finally, I observe how teaching this course in Spring 2020 shaped my decision-making regarding the readings and assignments for my upcoming course on ‘New Diseases in History and Literature’, including a class “Time Capsule” project. Drawing upon these aspects of my teaching experiences, I underscore how approaches that are flexible, creative, and empathetic can serve students well when teaching various types of content that may become suddenly topical or close to home.