Edward C Lorenz, Ph.D.
Recent Courses Taught
Public Affairs Colloquium. PAF 150.
More Details:
PAF 150 is an introductory, multi-disciplinary examination of selected contemporary issues related to leadership in public affairs. The colloquium continues in the winter term to build on experiences from the firs year seminar. We will look at four related cases of “Leadership” drawn from the holocaust and its legacy. The general goal is to understanding leadership choices, especially the personal and cultural characteristics that correspond to responsible leadership.
One of our cases will be drawn an egregious failure of medical ethics, followed by an exceptional case of religious leadership and then concluding with contemporary leadership efforts to resolve the continuing legacy and lessons of the struggle against the perpetrators of the Holocaust. Stéphane Hessel was a Jewish member of the French Resistance who played a role in negotiating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a post-World War II diplomat and recently received much attention as a 90 year old critic of our forgetting of the war’s lessons, especially related to the treatment of Palestine. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian physician, who lost three daughters to an Israeli tank shell, yet has worked for peace and reconciliation.
Not only will we focus o9n the links of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the last century’s ‘World Wars,’ we will look at the difficulty U.S. leaders face in addressing the legacy of the countries human experimentation experiences. Perhaps, most importantly, we will consider the remarkable cultural lessons from Chambon-sur-Lignon, described in the Hallie book. What prepares a village to act “right” in a crisis for which they could not have prepared? Are there lessons for us in that experience?
While specific topics considered each year vary, the colloquium intends to use the specific topics to sharpen student analytical, problem solving, and communication skills. The class also is designed to give students experience in (1) examining contemporary policy issues from a variety of academic perspectives, (2) proposing solutions based on multi-disciplinary insights, and (3) relating these solutions to current public policy making.
This colloquium has no prerequisites. The class is required of members of the Public Affairs Institute seeking certification as Fellows of the Institute. The colloquium meets every Thursday evening from 7:00-9:00 p.m., but with several additional meetings at other times with outside experts and during community events. Because much of the learning in this class should come from class presentations and discussions, attendance at all class sessions is expected, as is participation in class discussions and evening events. Students with more than one un-excused absence will receive no favorable consideration from the instructor if they are "borderline" when I calculate final grades.
Finally, this is a service-learning course, meaning we want to apply consciously what we learn in service to the community. We will discuss in class options for doing the service component.
