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COVID-19 and Global Inequalities

This course explores the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on members of disadvantaged communities, with lectures and course materials from dozens of countries, around the world.

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There is one session available:

583 already enrolled!
After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Jul 1
Ends Dec 31
Enroll

COVID-19 and Global Inequalities

This course explores the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on members of disadvantaged communities, with lectures and course materials from dozens of countries, around the world.

Estimated 8 weeks
3–5 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Jul 1
Ends Dec 31
Enroll
COVID-19 and Global Inequalities

About this course

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The COVID-19 pandemic has taken millions of lives and caused many millions of people to lose their jobs and/or businesses. It is commonplace for people to say, “We’re all in this together.” But, we’re not. In fact, the impact has been disproportionately felt by people who are already disadvantaged by reasons of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, poverty, age, and intersections of disfavored identity. This online course on COVID-19 and Global Inequalities examines the pandemic’s impact on racial, gender, wealth, and healthcare disparities, among others, through an international comparative lens. The course is self-paced and goes for 5 weeks, featuring lectures delivered by professors from around the world. The course is designed to foster understanding of equality law and theories of equality so that students can analyze different policy approaches to the pandemic. For the first year of enrollment, students will also have the opportunity to engage in monthly live discussions with one of the professors of the course.

At a glance

  • Institution: BerkeleyX
  • Subject: Law
  • Level: Introductory
  • Prerequisites:
    None
  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English

What you'll learn

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By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Compare how different legal systems addressed the Covid-19 pandemic;
  2. Compare the impact on inequality of the laws and policies that different legal systems adopted to address the pandemic;
  3. Analyze the theories of equality underlying the law and policy decisions that different systems adopted to address the pandemic;
  4. Discuss articles about inequality and the pandemic, and the issues raised in light of the underlying theories of equality, using examples from several legal systems;
  5. Connect with students from around the globe as friends/colleagues to discuss ongoing issues of inequality in light of the pandemic and the material they studied together;
  6. Create connections within a global community of research and learning

Syllabus

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5-Week Schedule:

  1. Introduction; Race and Racism

  2. Gender Equality; Domestic Violence; LGBTQIA+

  3. Intersectionality; Poverty; Incarceration

  4. Low Wage Workers; Migrants

  5. Age; People With Disabilities; Vaccine Distribution

Course Organizers:
David Oppenheimer, UC Berkeley (US)
Panos Kapotas, University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom)
Laverne Jacobs, U. of Windsor (Canada)

Guest Professors:
Sandra Fredman, Oxford University (United Kingdom)
Isabel Cristina Jaramillo Sierra, Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
Colleen Sheppard, McGill University (Canada)
Denise Neves Abade, MacKenzie University School of Law (Brazil)
Amy Barrow, Macquarie University Sydney (Australia)
Linda Senden, Utrecht University School of Law (Netherlands)
Karen O’ Connell, University of Technology Sydney (Australia)
Lucia Parlato, The University of Palermo (Italy)
Virginia Marturet, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Letizia Mancini, University of Milan (Italy)
Sen Raj, Keele University (United Kingdom)
Peter Dunne, University of Bristol (United Kingdom)
Ian Anderson
Shreya Atrey, University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
Debbie Collier, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Celestina Pearl
Nina Peršak, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Sophie Robin-Olivier, University of Paris I Sorbonne-Pantheon (France)
Laura Carlson, Stockholm University (Sweden)
Siti Hafsyah Idris, Universiti Teknologi MARA (Malaysia)
Charlotte Burrows
Lydia Hayes
Alysia Blackham, University of Melbourne (Australia)
Barbara Giovanna Bello, University of Milan (Italy)
Gerard Quinn, United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Ireland)
Carolina Gomez, Colombian Ministry of Health (Colombia)
Jonathan Quick, Rockefeller Foundation (United States)
William Asiko, Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Regional Office (Kenya)
Denise Herd, UC Berkeley (United States)

Cape Town group:
Puja Kapai
Charleen Lui
Kristina Marter
Katharina Miller
Joseph Sotile
Emma Tavangari

Student Research Assistants/Producers:
Claire Black
Shealyn Massey
Isabella Sanchez
Milo Schaberg
Shruti Srivastava
Solei Sarmiento
Ianna Zhu

About the instructors

Ways to take this course

Choose your path when you enroll.
Verified Track
Audit Track

Price

$99 USD

Free

Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

Expires on Aug 26

World class institutions and universities

edX support

Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

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