Intro to Ethics: Narrative disruption in the COVID-19 pandemic

In the first module of Prof. Maggie Little’s Intro to Ethics class, students approached ethical questions of identity, community, and inequality through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the language and theory of ethics, students were able to reflect on their pandemic experiences and consider the ways in which they have maintained hope and resilience in their communities.

The ethical concept of narrative disruption, of having your personal story upended by forces outside your control, has helped students articulate what they’ve been thinking and feeling through the crisis. 

“In life, it’s so powerful to be the author of your own story. And that requires having some sense of knowing what’s going to happen, some ability to make plans, to project your story forward. This pandemic has disrupted our ability to have this control over our lives,” Prof. Little says. “Humans are meaning-making creatures, and all of a sudden, the rituals we usually rely on, like graduations, aren’t happening. These are ways we make meaning and understand our lives. And when these are disrupted, it can really turn our sense of self and world upside down.”

Each week, in addition to traditional readings and philosophical writing, students did a creative exercise that intersected class material with stories and images. For one of the activities, called “Mapping My Pandemic,” students considered the ways in which narrative disruptions had manifested in their own lives.

“Some of the harms and risks of the pandemic are really obvious: the health ones and the economic ones,” says Prof. Little. “But it can be harder to name why even those lucky enough to escape those problems still feel unbelievably anxious, depressed, lost. This concept of narrative disruption can be really helpful in putting those feelings into words.”

In another activity, students examined a micro community in their lives, and thought of ways that group might maintain hope and resilience through the crisis.

The importance of community and togetherness was a central focus of student work. But the class also considered the ways in which the pandemic was divisive, exacerbating existing inequalities in society. 

“In addition to the pandemic being a historic event that we all need to support each other through, it’s a really fascinating lens on key ethical issues,” Prof. Little notes. “In many ways, the pandemic is something we’re all going through together. There’s a lot of solidarity around it, and we’re all experiencing some common things. But while it's hard for everybody, we know there are communities who are radically disproportionately affected and who are more likely to die from the disease. Communities of color, for instance.” 

Looking forward to the second module of the course, titled “Racial Reckoning,” these lessons of inequality are incredibly relevant. Students will be looking at the ongoing racial justice movement, and protests prompted by George Floyd’s death. 

“We started looking at racial inequity, and the systemic nature of it, during the pandemic module,” says Prof. Little. “And now we’re doing a deeper dive into the historical roots of these problems.”