New Signature Course: Reimagining the World Together

Before COVID-19 and the tragic, senseless death of George Floyd, the future was uncertain: climate change, political polarization, a global refugee crisis, police brutality in America, the rise of authoritarianism, and inequities in health and wealth were putting the future in question. Nonetheless, many of us had the benefit of facing these challenges from a relatively stable present. We went to school and to work; some of us played sports, all of us were fans; we shook hands with strangers, hugged friends and family; we boarded airplanes, trains, and buses worried only whether our bags would fit. These things were routine. Now they aren’t.

And still, the previous challenges remain and, in many cases, have been put in stark relief. The pandemic threatens to fracture an already divided political landscape, and the aftermath of George Floyd’s death — perhaps more so than other Black women, men, and children whose lives ended far too soon — has exposed weaknesses and long-held injustices in almost all of our systems, not least, higher education. When the present itself is unstable and uncertain, how do we plan for the future? How do we get there from here?

Reimagining the World Together: Why Friendship Matters for Our Future is a course that seeks to answer that question through a series of moderated conversations between pairs of friends who will talk about their friendship and their work and bring their imaginations to bear on the future.

Confirmed guests will include:

• William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
• Jim Yong Kim and Marshall Goldsmith
• Paul Farmer and Todd McCormack
• Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods
• Shane Battier and Ravi Gupta
• Mike Merson and Kathleen Cravero
• Sonia Shah and Anthony Arnove

The class will meet online on Thursdays from 5:15-7:30pm during fall semester. Students: register for ETHICS 387 — cross-listed as POLSCI 387, GLHLTH 387, SOCIOL 387, PUBPOL 385, and ICS 371