Women's History Month: Gender and Disease in World History

In celebration of Women's History Month, explore this lesson with your students that gives them the opportunity to practice an important part of the AP^® Exam while learning about how pandemics and diseases throughout world history have affected women's rights.

The focus lesson module for is an original Long Essay Question (LEQ) prompt accompanied by a Smithsonian Magazine history article which addressed the advancement of women's rights during and after World War I and the 1918–1919 Influenza pandemic. Teachers and students are supplied with AP^® World History LEQ resources, rubrics, and sample student essays to help write and score the original question prompt.

Aside from the lesson module, supplemental digital resources for women and health are included, followed by a section on digital resources for Gender and Disease in world history.

Download the pdf of the lesson here!

John Maunu is a College Board AP^® World History: Modern consultant who teaches summer workshops nationally. He is a co-moderator of the College Board^® APWH: Modern Teacher Community and a Digital Resources Editor for the World History Connected Online Journal. He was an AP^® European and World History teacher for many years and is currently an online consultant for AP^® World History: Modern in Michigan. John has also been a Senior Reviewer and item writer for many editions of the AP^® World History: Modern coursebook by AMSCO^® (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2020 editions).