Crisis Management & Municipal Government

This 1 credit course is an introduction to the challenges of managing crises, especially public health emergencies, in local government. We will focus on the first 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic as it played out in New York City, but we will also review case studies from other disasters and public health emergencies: a Covid antecedent in the SARS crisis in Toronto; the Katrina event revealing both debilitating inequities and lack of preparation in New Orleans; the lockdowns and fears emanating from the Ebola crisis.  This course will be instructed by a former government official and feature experts and practitioners from government and advocacy organizations.