Classes

    Medical Ethics and History (Gen Ed 1116)

    Semester: 

    Fall

    Offered: 

    2023

    Why have debates about medicine and public health (e.g., vaccination, abortion, etc.) become so polarized and contentious in the United States?

     

    Ethics & Civics icon with textHistories, Societies, Individuals icon with text

    David Shumway Jones

    'The Doctor' painting by Luke Fildes
     

    Students will encounter the ethical dilemmas of medicine and public health throughout their lives, whether with their own health, or with the health of their families and friends. This course will equip them with the tools of moral philosophy so that they can recognize, critique, and craft arguments grounded in appeals to utilitarianism, deontology, rights, or justice.... Read more about Medical Ethics and History (Gen Ed 1116)

    The Political Economy of Globalization (Gen Ed 1120)

    Semester: 

    Fall

    Offered: 

    2023

    How can a globalizing world of differing countries – rich and poor, democratic and authoritarian – best promote inclusive growth and human security by meeting the challenges of inequality, climate change, rising populism, and global disease?

     

    Ethics & Civics icon with textHistories, Societies, Individuals icon with text

    Lawrence Summers and Robert Lawrence

    Why is populism becoming pervasive - and is there a revolt against global integration? What is the right balance between national sovereignty and international integration? Is the US equipped to sustain its role as a global leader? How does international trade affect prosperity and inequality?... Read more about The Political Economy of Globalization (Gen Ed 1120)

    Can We Know Our Past? (Gen Ed 1105)

    Semester: 

    Fall

    Offered: 

    2024

    In a time when histories are being contested, monuments removed, and alternative facts compete with established orthodoxy, how do we evaluate competing narratives about what really happened in the past?

     

    Histories, Societies, Individuals icon with textScience & Technology in Society icon with text

    Jason Ur and Solsire Cusicanqui Marsano

    What happened in the past? How do you know? Even though today we take great pains to document every major event that occurs, more than 99% of human history is not written down.... Read more about Can We Know Our Past? (Gen Ed 1105)

    Living in an Urban Planet (Gen Ed 1103)

    Semester: 

    Fall

    Offered: 

    2024

    How did our planet become so urban, and how can our cities be more vital, livable, and sustainable?

     

    Histories, Societies, Individuals icon with text

    Bruno Carvalho 

     

    New Delhi

    Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

    It has become a cliché to say that more than half of the world’s population now lives in cities. The speed and scale of urbanization over the past century has been stunning, and we tend to underestimate the extent to which built environments and natural landscapes have become entangled. As both lived and imagined spaces, cities will continue to shape life on our planet. In fact, if we consider the flow of resources (and refuse), energy systems, the circulation of people and cultures, where do our cities actually end? This class starts from the premise that the urban today represents a worldwide condition in which nearly all political, economic, cultural, and socio-environmental relations are enmeshed.... Read more about Living in an Urban Planet (Gen Ed 1103)

    The Border: Race, Politics and Health in Modern Mexico (Gen Ed 1089)

    Semester: 

    Fall

    Offered: 

    2024

    If we want to understand our own history we need to look at the fringes, in this case the ongoing tensions and violence at the U.S.-Mexico border illustrates what we value and fear as a society.

     

    Histories, Societies, Individuals icon with text

    Gabriela Soto Laveaga

    Our southern border is continuously covered in newspapers, social media, and political debates. Why does the Mexico-U.S. border continue to be a space of discussion and controversy? In the twenty-first century, as nations across the world militarize or rebuild their borders, the U.S.-Mexico border serves as a vital case study to understand the ongoing trend of tightening national borders—it also allows us to better understand our own history, politics, and how we shape our view of the world.... Read more about The Border: Race, Politics and Health in Modern Mexico (Gen Ed 1089)

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