HSTY2630: Semester 1, 2021

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Units HSTY2630 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

HSTY2630: Panics and Pandemics

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

What is a panic and how does it spread? This unit explores contagious fears and fear of contagion through the ages. From Black Death to Covid-19, the spread of infectious diseases has tapped deeper fears and paralleled earlier panics, whether of apocalypse and eternal punishment, foreign invasion or domestic subversion, disaster or vice. This unit places outbreaks of feverish fear into historical context, exploring dubious cures, measured responses and drastic reactions that fall unevenly on vulnerable populations.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	HSTY2630
Academic unit	History
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in the History major or 6 credit points at 1000 level from the History major and 6 credit points at 1000 level from the (Sociology or Social Policy or Gender Studies or Cultural Studies or International Relations or English or Art History or Studies in Religion or History and Philosophy of Science) majors
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	James Dunk, james.dunk@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	James Dunk, james.dunk@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Participation	20%	Ongoing	Throughout semester
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Outline and Bibliography	10%	Week 04 Due date: 26 Mar 2021 at 23:59	500w (not including bibliography)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay	50%	Week 11 Due date: 21 May 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Aug 2021	3000w
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Tutorial Paper	20%	Week 13 Due date: 04 Jun 2021 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Aug 2021	1000w
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Essay Outline and Bibliography—Students will develop a research question, in consultation with the unit coordinator, about any aspect of the modern history of pandemics, then assemble a bibliography of 15 or more sources (primary and secondary), and outline the structure of the argument they will develop to answer the research question.
Research Essay—Comprising half of the available marks in the unit, essays will be assessed on the depth and breadth of the research, the clarity and coherence of the argument, and how well the argument is situated in the wider history of pandemics
Tutorial Paper—Students will be asked to demonstrate what they have learned about pandemics and panic in a short paper. This paper is not a conventional essay and may take any form.
Participation—Active and thoughtful participation in small group and wide group contexts is a crucial component of this course. The criteria for participation will include the energy and creativity of engagements with assigned material (including oral history interviews, book chapters, articles, and films) and with peers.

Further instructions about assessment tasks will be made available on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Contamination and Configuration: Pandemic Narratives	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Epidemic Colonisation	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	‘Virgin Soil’ and ‘Depopulation’	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Government Power and Disease Control	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	The Cholera Years	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Sanitary Movement to Microbe Hunting	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	The Spanish Flu	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Conquering Sickness	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Eradicating the Pox	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Unintended Consequences and Impossible Projects	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Counting the Costs	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Structures of Stigma and Blame	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Pathological Rhetoric	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	HIV/AIDS	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Meaning and Mapping	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Emerging Diseases	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Disease Ecology	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	From Public Health to Planetary Health	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Health in the Anthropocene	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	The Pandemic Imaginary	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Fictional Eradications and Extinctions	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	This Pandemic, Next Pandemic	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	What We Learned in the Pandemic	Tutorial (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of the global history of pandemics from the eighteenth century to the present
LO2. Demonstrate an understanding of the range of interpretive frameworks with which pandemic disease may be understood
LO3. Demonstrate familiarity with identifying and interpreting written, oral, visual, digital and material primary sources and secondary materials such as monographs, scholarly articles, podcasts, websites and documentaries
LO4. Examine historical subjects by undertaking research that begins with a problem, establishes context, and uses effective methodologies to prosecute a sound argument
LO5. Construct an evidence-based argument or narrative within a range of genres and contexts
LO6. Develop the capacity to deploy historical reasoning to present experience

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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