Notes from the Field: Teaching the History of Epidemics in the Midst of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Teaching the history of epidemics remains a critical mission of our profession, both inside and outside of the classroom. Charles E. Rosenberg's "dramaturgical model" of epidemic response endures as a useful and flexible heuristic. Through guided discussion of the dramaturgical model, students can develop a shared vocabulary and a working theory of epidemic responses through time. Students can apply the model, then revise and refine it for themselves through writing assignments and careful comparisons of epidemics in different times, places, and populations. Special consideration must be given to teaching the history of epidemics during the present SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.