210115 SE M6: Austrian Politics (2021W)

While the Covid-19 pandemic is widely seen as an almost unique event, do infectious diseases belong to those diseases that emerge on a larger scale as epidemics or pandemics that frequently and massively affect Europe and regions not far away. Instances include the Spanish Flu 1918 until 1919 mit over 50 millions of casualties worldwide, HIV/AIDS since 1981 with no end in sight causing some 32 million deaths, but, also, SARS 2002-2003 and MERS 2012 (the latter two with smaller numbers of deaths but seen as a serious threat). Also to mention here are seasonal waves of Influenza, at times coming with very high death rates.

Responses in politics and actions taken by institutions in charge to cope with challgenges coming with epidemics (such as the health system, research and development organisations, universities and the educational institutions, the welfare system, economic and financial orgabisations, ...) did differ with occasions and the duration of epidemics.

To investigate and analyse these is the goal of the seminar. We will focus on Austria/Europe, but will also need to take a comparative perspective (longitudinal as well as regional).

After a few introductory lectures (some given by external experts) working groups will be compiled, each assigned with specific research topics (which to some extent may be chosen by participants). Working groups wil orally present their findings in class and in writing in a term paper.

There will be meetings with working groups individually to report their progress and discuss questions that may have come up.