As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded in the spring of 2020, educators and students alike sought to cope with the sudden shift to online instruction, while also managing the immense lifestyle changes necessitated by the rapidly spreading virus Coincidentally, I had the improbable experience of teaching a Psychology of Disaster course during the emergence of the pandemic This essay will describe how a readings seminar quickly evolved into an experiential learning opportunity, as my 15 students and I applied and discussed course material in the context of events unfolding around us in real time Specifically, students engaged in animated discussions of disaster risk perception and communication, fear and the neurobiology of trauma, and the effect of COVID-19 on marginalized groups Moreover, writing assignments allowed students to recontextualize a number of societal events, such as the effect of groupthink on social distancing and spring break gatherings and analyses of irrational panic buying behaviors Students reflected on how their newly acquired knowledge about resilience and disaster preparedness could prove to be invaluable in facing an uncertain future postpandemic Recommendations for faculty to integrate knowledge from the COVID-19 pandemic and disaster psychology into other psychology courses are discussed, as well as ways this information can be utilized to support students during the ongoing response to the crisis (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)