Description:

Global Values 101 grew out of one of the most popular courses ever offered at Harvard University, in which some of the most original thinkers of our day sat down with students and explored how ideas have made them-and can make us-more engaged, involved, and compassionate citizens. In these engrossing, essay-length interviews, which address the topics of war, religion, the global economy, and social change, Amy Goodman, host of the popular radio program Democracy Now, speaks about the role of the independent media as gatekeeper and witness; Lani Guinier, author of Tyranny of the Majority, reveals that students' SAT scores more accurately describe the kind of car their parents drive than the grades they will earn in college and shows the way to a more equitable college admissions system; Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, explores the American Dream and exposes the myth of the "good war"; economist Juliet Schor, author of Born to Buy and The Overspent American, explains why Americans are willing to sacrifice quality of life to attain financial success; former "mall rat" Naomi Klein, author of No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, urges readers to go global while fighting global conglomerates; and Katha Pollitt, author of Reasonable Creatures: Essays on Women and Feminism, employs her incisive wit to explore what it really means to be a feminist in the Twenty First century.

For anyone who has been moved by idealism and longed to become a more proactive citizen, this collection offers a range of stories on how progressive ethics can inform, inspire, and ultimately transform lives.

From Booklist

"What is the value of literature in ethical and political discussions?" "Does there need to be a shift in identity . . . for women to . . . gain power in political decision making?" Such monumental questions of individual and universal human behavior are just par for the course in Harvard professor Brian Palmer's seminar on "Personal Choice and Global Transformation." Scheduled to debut on September 12, 2001, the events of the previous day immediately endowed Palmer's curriculum with an urgent imperative, one he and his students explored with the help of guest speakers who represented the vanguard of their particular spheres of influence. From linguist Noam Chomsky to former secretary of labor Robert Reich to legal scholar Lani Guinier to Partners in Health founder Dr. Paul Farmer, the speakers responded to students' probing questions with earnest candor and decisive intensity. The 16 interviews gathered here form a cohesive, essential primer on what it means, and what it takes, to be a responsive and responsible world citizen in today's turbulent times. Carol Haggas
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Review

A compilation of interviews from a popular, top ranked Harvard class. The guests, such as Robert Reich and Lani Guinier, provide thoughtful and thought provoking concepts and insides on today's world. The insights serve to open the reader's mind and encourage thoughtful reflection.—Donna O. Dziedzic (PLA) AAUP Best of the Best Program