Covid-19:
Action for Solutions
Doris Shen
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Introduction
The covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly imposed a great challenge on our generation, both physically and emotionally. Personally, for the second half of the spring semester, I have a strong sense of disconnection with other people, both with my friends and with the community as a whole. With the experience in LAS 199: Covid-19: Action for Solutions, I sought the chance to gain a better understanding of this experience, and to find a way to turn the challenges presented into an opportunity for reflection & learning, as opposed to a threat.
Context & Description
I have a dual degree in religion and accounting. A class that I am taking this semester toward my religion degree, History of Antisemitism, had introduced concepts regarding prejudices, how an ideology or a group of people can be understood through misrepresentations by out-group members, and how education shall be designed to prevent future discriminations. I found some of the concepts in this class relatable to some movements during the pandemic, with which the followers consciously and intentionally seek to behave against public health guidelines. I found this point interesting and worth our effort for further examination. With that being said, my project topic is the delivery and reception of public health messages. I will seek to explore how and why messages can be distorted (either intentionally or unintentionally) by the recipients, and also how messages should be delivered to the public to maximize the benefits.
Project Delivery
My intended audience is the younger and the educated population living in the Champaign County area. With intimate relationships with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Parkland College, a considerable portion of the population is affiliated with higher education, taking positions as students, faculties, or staff members. It is also worth noting that around half of the population had received a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 95% had earned a high school degree. And with its student density, the Champaign county also has a relatively younger population. Under this scheme, I think my intended audience group can cover a reasonable proportion of people in the area.
The format of the project is presented here as a website. I think this is the more accessible and preferred medium of delivery among my targeted audiences. Additionally, I will be using an analytical tone in the presentation of my materials. While I don’t deny the possibility, I believe that my projected audiences are among the groups who are less likely to fall prey to the misinformation and to intentionally behave against the guidelines. So my objective of presenting my project is to initiate a conversation, and I would appreciate the exchange of different views and ideas. I believe by using a rather analytical or professional tone to express my ideas can help to make them easier for others to follow, and perhaps easier for others to feel comfortable in expressing their understandings as well.
Project Overview
There are two major sections of my project: five open editorials and an independent research project in partnership with a community organization.
The open editorials contain my summaries and responses to the speaker sessions of the CovcCourse offered by the university and several external readings. My writings have touched on topics including:
History (How did we get here). With this topic, I discussed some of the historical patterns of past pandemics, and the lessons that can be drawn from past experience to change our future. I also reflected on the concept and development of “chimerical beliefs”, alone with the idea that such beliefs seem to have accompanied past pandemics as well.
Election & Information (Pandemics and Geopolitics). For this open editorial, I summarized the various influences the pandemic has over the 2020 presidential election, as well as the influences of politics over the control of the pandemic. I responded with the notion of information, and further discussed how information should be properly delivered to the public, as well as the institutional responsibilities in delivering information.
Social Inequality (Society and the Social Contract). For this topic, I summarized the various factors that have led to social inequalities, especially in terms of people’s access to health care. I examined the viability of one solution (as proposed by the Concourse speaker), and offered that such a resolution can be combined with other methods to further increase both efficiency and effectiveness.
Global Impacts (Fake News and Public Health Messaging). For this topic, I explained the speaker’s listing of various factors (both social and political ones) that have contributed to the differences in the size of infected populations. In my response, I also examined potential psychological movements that can ultimately lead to one’s rejection of the current system.
Higher Education (A Global Reset). In this open editorial, I summarized the impact of the pandemic on the university, and the responses of the university to mitigate the harms. I responded with my observation of the university’s role during the time of covid-19, and potential improvements that can be made.
Regarding the research project, my community partner is the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). I conducted an interview with Julie Pryde, the director of CUPHD. During the interview, we discussed how the delivery of messages is carried out in practice, specifically regarding the actions that have been taken as reactions to the outbreak of the pandemic. A list of topics we discussed includes:
CUPHD’s relationship with the university
the organization and structure of the organization
the strategies adopted by CUPHD in delivering their guidelines
their responses to the misinformed individuals
their evaluation of the effectiveness of their jobs
their perception of educating the public during the pandemic