MLD-618: Leadership, Social Change, and its Challenges: Boston as a Case Study

Over the last half century Boston has faced a multitude of issues and crises. Despite its stunning economic turnaround and success, reoccurring themes have been the problems inequality, race and ethnicity, class, and social justice. Their resolution as successes or failures has been dependent on the actions taken by leaders - individuals and groups. The role of leadership will be analyzed in part through major milestones events such as: the school busing crisis, the Catholic Church sex scandal,  the Boston Harbor cleanup (once the dirtiest in the Nation), the Boston Miracle and community policing, the Domestic Worker’s Rights campaign, Cambridge’s guaranteed income experiment, gun laws, banks as instruments for good, and the Marriage Equality Act.  Key protagonists from each case will visit the class. Students will be required to interview and shadow a leader of their choice for a day. For their final project students will be required to create a case of their own. 

Also offered by the Sociology Department as SOCIOL 1119. Please note, this is a jointly offered course hosted by another Harvard school and, accordingly, students must adhere to the academic and attendance policies of that school.