Fundamentals of Science and Technology Public Policy Making: MIT Sci/Tech Policy Bootcamp
William Bonvillian, Director, MIT DC Office
| Jan/27 | Mon | 09:00AM-03:30PM | 56-114 |
| Jan/28 | Tue | 09:00AM-03:30PM | 56-114 |
| Jan/29 | Wed | 09:00AM-12:00PM | 56-114 |
| Jan/30 | Thu | 09:00AM-12:00PM | 56-114 |
| Jan/31 | Fri | 09:00AM-01:00PM | 56-114 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
This activity examines the public policy behind, and the government's role in the science and technology based innovation system. Emphasis placed on the U.S. S&T system, but international examples discussed. The seminar aims to equip those planning careers in and around science and technology with the basic background for involvement in science policymaking.
We cover the following topics:1)drivers behind science and technology support: growth economics, direct and indirect innovation factors, innovation systems theory, the "valley of death" between R&D and public-private partnership models; 2)organizing framework behind US science agencies, their missions and research organizational models, and the DARPA model as an alternative; 3)the way innovation is organized when it's face-to-face; 4)barriers and challenges to health science advance; 5)The energy technology challenge - how the science/tech innovation system needs to be organized to meet it within an existing and established complex economic sector; and 5) upcoming competitiveness challenge in advanced manufacturing.
Please fill out this web form to participate in activity:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y9B5ioN-3MS9qm3lXdHhQtZyytwSUfEPJhDuZhcyE3Q/viewform
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Dilon Gardner, dillon@mit.edu
Harry Potter, World War II & and War on Terror
Amanda Rothschild, PhD Student Political Science
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/14
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Are the Harry Potter books just a fictional account of a fantastical wizarding world, or do the books offer a more nuanced political commentary on current and past international events? This course explores the political implications of the Harry Potter series, with a particular focus on parallels to World War II and the War on Terror. Topics explored include the sorting process, minority persecution, resistance movements, historical parallels to Death Eaters, and similarities between violence in the Harry Potter series and terrorism today. All students are welcome, but ideally students would have read all seven books or be familiar with the films. Wizarding robes are optional, but encouraged.
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Amanda Rothschild, rothscaa@mit.edu
| Jan/27 | Mon | 06:30PM-08:00PM | Location TBD |
The series begins and ends with significant emphasis on the sorting process. How does Rowling define courage and why might that definition be important? What does Dumbledore mean when he says we must choose between what is right and what is easy? Why do readers assume Hufflepuffs are not as capable as others? Why is ambition the quality associated with the darkest house and what are the implications of that association?
| Jan/29 | Wed | 06:30PM-08:00PM | Location TBD |
We discuss parallels between Muggle-borns and other persecuted minorities throughout history with a particular focus on the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Discussion may include the Muggle-born registry, racial purity in the series, ideology of Lord Voldemort, Grindelwald and "the greater good," racially derogatory terminology, Snatchers and the Gestapo, Death Eaters and the Nazi Party, and other topics.
| Jan/30 | Thu | 06:30PM-08:00PM | Location TBD |
Are the tactical axioms of Death Eaters similar to those of terrorist organizations? How do attacks by Death Eaters mirror terrorist attacks? How does the Ministry of Magic's response to the return of Lord Voldemort, under both Minister Fudge and Minister Scrimgeour, parallel the response of governments to terrorist attacks?
| Jan/31 | Fri | 06:30PM-08:00PM | Location TBD |
Is moral courage a central theme? Who are the courageous in the series? Which characters resist evil and how do they do it? What does it mean to value courage, fairness, wit, or ambition most? Is Dumbledore correct that we are defined not by our abilities, but by our choices? How do we apply this lesson to our life at MIT and beyond?
Heroes and Bystanders
Amanda Rothschild, PhD student Political Science
| Jan/27 | Mon | 03:30PM-05:00PM | Location TBD |
| Jan/29 | Wed | 03:30PM-05:00PM | Location TBD |
| Jan/30 | Thu | 03:30PM-05:00PM | Location TBD |
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/20
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
What are our responsibilities to other human beings in crises ranging from school bullying to mass atrocity? Where does moral courage come from on an individual level? What makes one person a hero and another a bystander? Will states take costly action for the sake of moral goals? Come explore these themes with other MIT students in this seminar series! The series will examine the sources of moral courage and responsibility through discussion of philosophical writings on the subject, individual stories of both heroes and bystanders, and recent events including NATO’s intervention in Libya and the recent suicide of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi. Material will be drawn from Camus’s The Plague, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower, Phillip Hallie’s Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed,Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men, and Samantha Power’s A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, among others. Although this is a non-credit course, students are encouraged to keep a reflective journal detailing their responses and reactions to course material.
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Amanda Rothschild, rothscaa@mit.edu
Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business
Jette Steen Knudsen, Visiting Professor
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
In April 2013 the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people. The collapse led to heavy criticism of working conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh and to demands that western companies such as H&M and the GAP take increased responsibility for improving social and environmental conditions in supplier factories. Many other sectors such as consumer electronics (Apple) and toys (Mattel) have faced similar challenges.
These examples illustrate a growing trend. Today stakeholders as diverse as investors, employees, the media, NGOs and customers have strong views on how corporations should be run. Firms operating in or sourcing from developing countries are increasingly held responsible for a range of issues that were previously considered the responsibility of public authorities, such as environmental management, labor standards and human rights. Furthermore, several governments have adopted new regulations that require companies to adopt CSR activities (i.e., non-financial reporting requirements; green public procurement; legislation pertaining to anti-corruption). Companies therefore have to consider a wide range of new social issues as a key element of their broader risk management. How can firms best manage and prioritize their social risk management efforts? Which types of regulation (private or public) are most helpful for managing social risks?
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk@MIT.EDU
| Jan/14 | Tue | 10:00AM-12:00PM | E53-438 |
Overview of the development of sustainability as business strategy (also referred to as corporate social responsibility/CSR) and focuses on the impact of globalization. Examines strengths and limitations of sustainability as a business strategy. Is there a business case for sustainability? Which companies gain from having a sustainability strategy? Does society gain from sustainability and if so under what conditions?
| Jan/16 | Thu | 10:00AM-12:00PM | E53-438 |
This session examines the changing boundaries between public and private regulation of sustainability. Can governments govern international business? How are boundaries changing between public and private regulation of sustainability?
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