Historical, medical perspective of COVID-19 offered online by MSU humanities institute
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 大象APP faculty member specializing in the history of medicine will present her perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic next week in a virtual format open for public interaction.
A scholar of the history of 19th-century American medicine, medical humanities, and the history of the mind and body, Courtney Thompson, an assistant professor in MSU鈥檚 Department of History, will present 鈥淯nderstanding 鈥榯he Pandemic鈥欌 on Wednesday [April 15] at 2 p.m. on the university鈥檚 Institute for the Humanities .
In a live interview format, Thompson will discuss how historians of medicine think about disease and epidemics/pandemics, and 鈥渨hat lessons we can draw from the past about the current crisis.鈥 Julia Osman, director of the university鈥檚 Institute for the Humanities and professor of history, will moderate the question-and-answer driven session.
Osman said, 鈥淎s a historian of medicine, Dr. Thompson can help us understand how this current situation fits into the larger history of disease and what we can make of it.鈥
She added that Thompson鈥檚 expertise in how to cast and understand medicine will 鈥渉elp us find ways to situate the current times in our own minds as well as in larger human history.鈥
Noting her discussion might draw comparisons with other well-known historical epidemics, including the Black Death, the Influenza of 1918/1919 and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Thompson said, 鈥淭he big takeaway for us right now is that while aspects of this pandemic are unusual or unprecedented, historically speaking, this is just one episode in a longer history of society confronting and managing death and disease.
A faculty member at MSU since 2016, Thompson earned her Ph.D. in the history of science and medicine from Yale University in 2015.
She is a member of the American Association for the History of Medicine; Cherion: The International Society for the History of Behavioral and Social Sciences; and the History of Science Society, among others.
鈥淒r. Thompson is no stranger to the institute,鈥 Osman said.聽鈥淪he recently led a fantastic workshop for secondary education teachers on women鈥檚 history, and how to include women of many different backgrounds, in a way that enriches the history we teach and also helps us show greater empathy to our students.鈥
Osman said although the Institute for the Humanities is moving online, they are remaining active through social media formats.
鈥淧eople turn to the humanities in times like these, and I am trying to focus on the more entertaining or whimsical elements as well as the 鈥榟igh art鈥 often associated with the humanities,鈥 she said, pointing to the institute鈥檚 mascot, Huge Manatee, on social media.
鈥淗e is tweeting interesting opportunities in the humanities that are mostly free, such as attending an opera at the Met, and encouraging input and interaction from folks on Facebook. Recently, he has asked for help in choosing books or movies, and asked people to help him finish the little poems he begins,鈥 Osman said. Explore Hugh Manatee鈥檚 recent adventures by visiting: or .
As part of MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines and raises their visibility, both within 大象APP and the wider community. The Institute is active on social media on Instagram @msststehumanities, Twitter @Humanities_MSU and Facebook @msu.humanities.institute.
MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,200 students, 325 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs, 14 masters programs, and 27 undergraduate academic majors offered in 14 departments.聽It also is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.聽For more about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Institute for the Humanities visit or .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .