Ohio Wesleyan faculty share their thoughts, concerns, and insights about this new world and our place in it.
By Ji Young Choi, Associate Professor of Politics & Government
"The coronavirus outbreak has revealed the importance of political leadership and the capacity of the government in handling a sudden, large-scale crisis."
By Kira Bailey, Assistant Professor of Psychology
"Have you ever watched a show while reading for class? Have you ever listened to a podcast while writing a paper? Have you ever responded to a text on your phone while playing a video game?"
By Laurie Anderson, Professor of Botany-Microbiology
"As an ecologist, I study the interactions between organisms and their environment. At first, the coronavirus pandemic may seem like a simple, terrifying case of a virus interacting with the human species. However, an ecological perspective shows that this story involves complex connections among multiple species, deforestation, and humans as a unique animal with its own patterns of behavior."
By Jim Franklin, Professor of Politics & Government
"The novel coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world and seems certain to affect every country. As we have seen, the contagiousness and relatively high hospitalization rate of COVID-19 pose a challenge to even the most developed countries, yet some countries have been far more successful (so far) at slowing the spread of the virus than others."
By Kira Bailey, Assistant Professor of Psychology
"Two weeks before our wedding in 2007, my soon-to-be spouse and I received a package. It contained a paper towel holder and a spice rack from our registry. The gift receipt was signed, 'Love, Antal.'”
By Franchesca Nestor, Assistant Professor of Politics & Government
"Why has our response to climate change been so slow? Why does our social safety net remain woefully stingy compared to other democratically elected countries? Why weren’t we better prepared for this pandemic?"
By Amy Butcher, Associate Professor of English
"In the wake of this global pandemic, a viral meme has made the rounds on social media, attempting to take humans to task by reminding them that, while under quarantine, Shakespeare wrote King Lear."
By Michael Flamm, Professor of History
"At times the past can provide a perspective on the present. This is one of those times."