The roundtable is based on an event that occurred at Manchester University Tuesday 6 December 2022.

This roundtable features:

• Peter Knight, Professor of American Studies at the University of Manchester (Chair).
• Claire Birchall, Professor of Contemporary Culture at King’s College London.
• Caitjan Gainty, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science, Technology & Medicine at King’s College London.

A webpage with information about the initial event can be found here: https://ukpsaapg.co.uk/unfolding-our-shared-future-talk-series-2/university-of-manchester-the-next-pandemic-roundtable/

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet and social media was overflowed with both accurate and inaccurate information about the disease, resulting in confusion and the spread of harmful messages online. This roundtable event will answer the following questions:

• What lessons have we learned from the COVID-19 outbreak? How might these help us cope with the next pandemic?
• Should we be more worried about an infodemic or a pandemic? Is there any distinction anymore?
• Is it possible to have healthy scepticism in a pandemic?
• What insights can the arts and humanities, and the social sciences provide for understanding pandemics?

This roundtable is part of a series, titled ‘Unfolding Our Shared Future’, which is delivered by the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association and the host universities with the support of the British Association of American Studies and US Embassy in London.

This is a podcast featuring talks, papers, & interviews linked to the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association.

Executive Producer: Dr Peter Finn, Kingston University