We will focus this week’s discussion on Chapter 5 of the book, which relates to the demarcations of overlapping borders (medical, political, racial, socio-economic) during the typhus epidemic outbreak affecting El Paso/Juarez and the response we see the state takes under the current COVID-19 pandemic. Consult this source and watch the video embedded in the DHS website . Compare and contrast information from both sources (Ch 5 and the link/video) and reflect on some similarities and differences between the two periods, keeping in mind how borders are created through medical and political discourses and practices, and whose bodies are marked as dangerous.
Note: These discussions and readings are geared to help you gain knowledge, guide and challenge your thoughts about global health issues, so these tasks are not supposed to be easy or something you can complete last minute. There is no right or wrong in your answers. However, you must demonstrate that you have done the required readings for each assignment AND gone beyond the readings presenting reading-informed personal reflections. To demonstrate that you have done the readings, you need to always cite your sources in text and use examples from those reading to support your statements with evidence. For instance, if you are discussing a concept presented by Farmer, dont take it for granted that because everyone reads the same texts, what you are referring to will be obvious to everyone else in the class. Instead assume that nothing is obvious until you make it so, but properly acknowledging your source. So, going back to our example of Farmer, once you present your statement discussing one of his concepts, ideas and/or examples, you need to cite this author. You can presented in several ways, but here are a couple of examples:
1. According to Farmer, ..[introduce his idea/your position] [if using a direct quote ALWAYS use quotation marks and indicate page number]. (2005, p.13).
2. Given the evidence [explain what this evidence is]/ Given the concept of present the concept/ In the example of US inpatients in [remember to provide enough detail so everyone knows what you are referring to], I believe that..[here incorporate your personal reflection on the topic] (Crisp 2010, pp.21-23).
Note: Aim for a well researched, balanced and analytical approach to the information provided in the readings in your discussion posts. Be as clear and informative as possible.
Remember, your main post should be of a minimum 200-word length; your long reply of at least 50 words and your follow-up post does not have a word limit, but it is still a required part of your grading for this assignment. However, grading will be based on the quality of your content rather than quantity of words. The word limit is only a minimum length grading mark.
