This course began the semester with a syllabus that has all readings scanned and linked in the syllabus. Thus there is no interruption in the assigned articles and book excerpts. Guest speakers present to the class of 17 students on-line through Zoom, and the same portal enables a class discussion to follow the lecture. Students are also presenting a research assignment in the same manner, with questions and comments. This week, Professor Shulman presented the Resiliency and Adaptation Guidelines that he has completed for the City of Miami Beach.
The discussion revolved around the lessons to be learned from the pandemic about planning for changing conditions and events of an inescapable global scale. Climate change can be considered the first international concern that requires local responses to a universal threat. The COVID-19 global impact is the second. Both require a recognition of the planning required to understand potential threats and to coordinate appropriate responses. And in both cases, it is evident that the reluctance to plan and take action in advance of predicted events can be disastrous.
