On March 31st 1994, a historic decision was made at the United Nations (UN) regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. The UN Human Rights Committee ruled that an Australian law criminalizing all sexual relations between consenting adult men violated the human rights of Tasmanian activist Nicholas Toonen, and subjected him to the […]

There is a general optimism that the American economy is on an upswing, slowly recovering as it emerges from one of the worst recessions since the 1930s. Yet, one of the fundamental factors that caused the recession—housing finance—continues to be a barrier rather than an opportunity for millions of Americans, especially Latinos.

In a landmark verdict handed down last Monday, an Egyptian doctor was convicted of the manslaughter of 13-year-old Suhair al-Bataa, who died during an illegal female genital mutilation (FGM) procedure. Dr. Raslan Fadl was initially acquitted in November 2014, triggering a wave of anger among activists and women’s rights advocates. The new verdict provides a […]

ABSTRACT The United States has undergone a dramatic shift in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, yet the majority of school sex education programs continue to focus almost exclusively on heterosexual relationships and marriage. These programs do not portray same-sex couples in vignettes and hypothetical dilemmas or discuss variations in sexual orientation and gender identity. […]

By Katherine Blaisdell, Managing Editor, MPA/MDiv ‘16 In addition to new hand dryers and updated plumbing, the restrooms in Divinity Hall at Harvard Divinity School have experienced a gender change. The single-person restrooms no longer have Women and Men signage, but signs that read, “All Gender Restroom: Anyone can use this restroom, regardless of gender […]

By: Ku Ka Tsai, MPP ’15 Coordinating volunteer opportunities at the Kennedy School is neither thankless nor depressing. Far from it: It constantly teaches me about the importance and ease of kindness. But it has also made me think about passion, and whether it necessarily implies compassion. One corner of the Student Public Service Collaborative’s […]

An interview with Professor Joshua Goodman Finds Significant College Quality Effect Low-income, low-skilled students are at a disadvantage. Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor Joshua Goodman is undertaking ground-breaking research that can help education professionals and policymakers help these low-income, underperforming students attend the highest quality colleges and universities available. Professor Goodman and his co-authors from […]

By Tommy Tobin, Editor in Chief Entrepreneurship is about bold ideas as well as the skill and the drive to see them through. For HKS Professor Carl Byers, entrepreneurship—whether in the private or social sector—is about the numbers. In his course, “Entrepreneurial Finance,” Byers teaches students the ins and outs of balance sheets, profit/loss statements, […]

By Nahal Bahri, University of California, Berkeley School of Law J.D. Candidate 2015; Harvard Law School, 3rd year Exchange Program 2014-2015 On Tuesday, November 25th, Harvard Law students discussed their recent lawsuit against the Harvard Corporation, seeking to compel the Harvard Corporation to divest from fossil fuel companies. The students focused on their mission, which […]

By Anne Stotler, MPP ’15   Searching for the balance between learning to serve and doing it “You and your sister thought I was a bad mother sometimes,” my mother recently joked about how much time she spent volunteering when I was growing up. “You were always the last kids picked up at school because […]

By Patrick Daniel  When Jimmy Carter entered the stage at Memorial Church, to an event hosted by Harvard Divinity School last week, everyone waited for his words on tenterhooks. So popular was the former president that the first twenty rows were filled half an hour before the event even started.  Carter has had a long […]

One day a Harvard economics professor asked his graduate class: “Who has ever been in Sierra Leone?” Students raised their hands, most of them non-Africans and none of them from Sierra Leone. And he continued: “Who has ever seen a cow in Sierra Leone?” This time, no more hands were raised. Believe it or not, […]