Ten HKS highlights… so far
Just six weeks into the first year of an MPP (Master of Public Policy) at the Harvard Kennedy School, so much has happened that it’s tough to know where to start. So instead here are ten highlights of my experience so far.
1) Learning from top professors…
Classroom discussions so far have ranged from why liberals struggle to understand conservatives (see Jonathan Haidt’s excellent TED talk) to the economics and the ethics behind “nudging”. The topic that’s been most on my mind lately is an assessment of the strategic costs of torture under the Bush administration, by my professor Douglas Johnson, as well as Alberto Mora and Averell Schmidt (both fellows at the HKS Carr Center for Human Rights). It’s an incredibly important topic — especially since a) one of the US presidential candidates has said he will bring back the use of torture if elected (no prizes for guessing who), and b) 63% of Americans support the use of torture for anti-terrorism purposes. The article is here and well worth a read.
2) …and fellow students
The diversity of professional backgrounds, nationalities, and viewpoints makes for some fascinating — and spirited — classroom discussions. Medical doctors, intelligence analysts and lawyers may have quite different perspectives on an ethical issue, for instance…
3) Exploring New England
A group of Kennedy and Frank Knox scholars from across Harvard had a quick break in Vermont early in the semester. We went on some very scenic hikes, and stayed in an enormous but eerily isolated lodge at the edge of a forest… there are so few people in southwest Vermont! We enjoyed local maple syrup, ate at a local diner-cum-bowling alley, swum in several lakes, and cooked an impossibly large quantity of risotto.
4) Discovering small Americanisms
I thought I knew the score: say “zee” instead of “zed”, and talk about trunks and gas, not boots and petrol. How wrong I was. It turns out the list is never-ending. It includes odd paper sizes (A4 isn’t a thing here) to measurements (I still have no idea how to bake in “cups”) to new sayings (“cone of silence” is not a cult, but means “to keep a secret”). The list goes on…
5) Watching Trump v Hillary on the big screen at HKS
There’s nothing like being in the midst of several hundred Harvard students watching the first debate for one of the most unusual presidential elections in recent history…
6) Voter registration in south Boston
Still on the election theme, I spent a day in South Boston with non-partisan community organisation UCB to Get Out the Vote. It was part of HKS Serves, and a great chance to engage with local residents in a completely different part of town.
7) Exploring the social innovation world at Harvard
Social innovation and entrepreneurship is an interest of mine and a hot topic at Harvard. There are tons of exciting initiatives in this space, including those hosted by the i-lab (an amazing resource, not like anything I’ve seen at a UK university before…). There’s also the new venture competition hosted at HBS, plus numerous workshops and student-run interest groups at HKS itself, on topics like design thinking, impact investing, and shared value.
8) Studying the International Criminal Court… with its first-ever prosecutor
Separate from classes, the research centres at HKS offer study groups on specific topics with visiting fellows. I’m lucky enough to be part of a group with Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the first-ever prosecutor of the ICC. It’s been amazing to get a first-hand account of the development of such a new and innovative international institution.
9) Spending Tuesday afternoons negotiating about theme parks and pandas
One of the highlights of the MPP core curriculum for me so far is the Negotiations course. It involves weekly “simulations”, where students take different roles in smaller groups, to practice the theory we learn in classes. The topics have been very varied!
10) S’mores
Last weekend I had my first s’more. A s’more is a sandwich of sweet crackers, melted marshmallow (preferably over a bonfire) and chocolate chunks. I still can’t believe it’s a thing.
