What Is on Your Nightstand?
What is the Role of Literature at the Kennedy School?
Rachael Novier
Issue date: 3/12/01 Section: Op-Ed
When was the last time that you read a book without an index? When was the last time you read something other than schoolwork and The New York Times on Sunday? Last September when I delved into my studies, I thought I was doing myself a favor by setting aside fiction and concentrating on my required reading. I even felt guilty for reading the Arts and Entertainment section of the because it didn't seem relevant to addressing public problems.
If you gave up fiction as well, I have an assignment for you: read a fun book. Read a children's book-one with pictures. Read a book that you skipped in high school. See if Cliff got it right in his notes.
I no longer feel guilty if I skip the last assigned article for my morning class in order to finish the next chapter of my bedside book. Some of the most enriching, informative reading that I do is fiction. I firmly believe that pleasure reading enriches one's understanding of policy. Both current and classic literature might be the key to relating the lessons taught in Kennedy School classrooms to the policymaking in the outside world.
Like it or not, the Kennedy School teaches largely by the case method. Cases describe situations in almost mundane detail for students to analyze in a prescribed manner. Taking a step back from their entrenched detail, cases are essentially a cast of characters who face a conflict. Their complex situations are fettered by complications, which are usually the result of ill-timed action or inaction. The conflict reaches a climax, which is followed by falling action and, finally, a dénouement-rarely reaching a concrete resolution.
The case format is suspiciously similar to the classic short story and novel forms. When discerning why a certain policy entrepreneur chose a particular action channel becomes difficult, perhaps thinking back to those required literature courses in college, and applying the analytical skills used to identify underlying themes, subtleties of conflict, and character development would be a helpful. Character analysis is an integral part of case study.
Beyond making the case-study method more interesting and easily internalized, I would posit that fiction can improve your policy-building capacity. Policymakers seem to suffer from vocabulary tunnel vision. (I am still a little disconcerted that I used the term "action channel" in the paragraph above.) Policymaking is a creative process, and deserves to be presented and explored in an inventive manner using imaginative terms. Having a common vocabulary is crucial to ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page. However, encouraging creativity by introducing new terms could cause more idea generation. When the term "morally stinky," surfaced in an ethics class discussion, I giggled at its eccentricity. However, I also thought more deeply about the shades of gray that describe public life. That tiny step in expanding our set of terms made the discussion dynamic. Vocabulary shapes thoughts. The study of literature can unleash creative thinking.
Literature also provides an environment in which to explore diversity and inequality. Compared to the Kennedy School, my undergraduate institution - Texas Tech - was racially and culturally homogenous. I did not benefit from the perspectives of many international students - or even international faculty members. Race, gender and class differences were not satisfactorily addressed in any course on campus. While real cultural interaction cannot be found in a book, perspective-changing insight can. A striking example is Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer-prize winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Lahiri thoughtfully explores how immigrant families wrestle with maintaining their cultural identities in this sometimes-treacherous place that is oftentimes incorrectly called a melting pot.
Literature can help lift the complex layers of current problems. For those who are interested in gender dynamics or the church and state relationship, Margaret Atwood's chilling novel A Handmaid's Tale is required reading, in my book. Moreover, for those who are serious about education policy and inspiring young people, Harry Potter might be able to teach you a thing or two. It is understood that Robert Penn Warren never met President Clinton, but reread his All the Kings Men as American begin to define the Clinton legacy. The sympathetic character of Willy Stark, based upon the legendary Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, will change your thoughts about Clinton, regardless of your political stripes.
Please note: this is not an endorsement of an addition to the core curriculum. "PAL 911-Literature and Leadership: Thoughts on Thick Books by Old White Guys" should not be coming soon to a course listing near you. It is simply high time that Kennedy School students allow themselves to have a story time. Fiction provides not only valuable analytical tools, but also a much-needed refuge from the readings featured on syllabi. Students will not only be more relaxed, but we will become better, more creative policy analysts.
If you gave up fiction as well, I have an assignment for you: read a fun book. Read a children's book-one with pictures. Read a book that you skipped in high school. See if Cliff got it right in his notes.
I no longer feel guilty if I skip the last assigned article for my morning class in order to finish the next chapter of my bedside book. Some of the most enriching, informative reading that I do is fiction. I firmly believe that pleasure reading enriches one's understanding of policy. Both current and classic literature might be the key to relating the lessons taught in Kennedy School classrooms to the policymaking in the outside world.
Like it or not, the Kennedy School teaches largely by the case method. Cases describe situations in almost mundane detail for students to analyze in a prescribed manner. Taking a step back from their entrenched detail, cases are essentially a cast of characters who face a conflict. Their complex situations are fettered by complications, which are usually the result of ill-timed action or inaction. The conflict reaches a climax, which is followed by falling action and, finally, a dénouement-rarely reaching a concrete resolution.
The case format is suspiciously similar to the classic short story and novel forms. When discerning why a certain policy entrepreneur chose a particular action channel becomes difficult, perhaps thinking back to those required literature courses in college, and applying the analytical skills used to identify underlying themes, subtleties of conflict, and character development would be a helpful. Character analysis is an integral part of case study.
Beyond making the case-study method more interesting and easily internalized, I would posit that fiction can improve your policy-building capacity. Policymakers seem to suffer from vocabulary tunnel vision. (I am still a little disconcerted that I used the term "action channel" in the paragraph above.) Policymaking is a creative process, and deserves to be presented and explored in an inventive manner using imaginative terms. Having a common vocabulary is crucial to ensuring that all stakeholders are on the same page. However, encouraging creativity by introducing new terms could cause more idea generation. When the term "morally stinky," surfaced in an ethics class discussion, I giggled at its eccentricity. However, I also thought more deeply about the shades of gray that describe public life. That tiny step in expanding our set of terms made the discussion dynamic. Vocabulary shapes thoughts. The study of literature can unleash creative thinking.
Literature also provides an environment in which to explore diversity and inequality. Compared to the Kennedy School, my undergraduate institution - Texas Tech - was racially and culturally homogenous. I did not benefit from the perspectives of many international students - or even international faculty members. Race, gender and class differences were not satisfactorily addressed in any course on campus. While real cultural interaction cannot be found in a book, perspective-changing insight can. A striking example is Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer-prize winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Lahiri thoughtfully explores how immigrant families wrestle with maintaining their cultural identities in this sometimes-treacherous place that is oftentimes incorrectly called a melting pot.
Literature can help lift the complex layers of current problems. For those who are interested in gender dynamics or the church and state relationship, Margaret Atwood's chilling novel A Handmaid's Tale is required reading, in my book. Moreover, for those who are serious about education policy and inspiring young people, Harry Potter might be able to teach you a thing or two. It is understood that Robert Penn Warren never met President Clinton, but reread his All the Kings Men as American begin to define the Clinton legacy. The sympathetic character of Willy Stark, based upon the legendary Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, will change your thoughts about Clinton, regardless of your political stripes.
Please note: this is not an endorsement of an addition to the core curriculum. "PAL 911-Literature and Leadership: Thoughts on Thick Books by Old White Guys" should not be coming soon to a course listing near you. It is simply high time that Kennedy School students allow themselves to have a story time. Fiction provides not only valuable analytical tools, but also a much-needed refuge from the readings featured on syllabi. Students will not only be more relaxed, but we will become better, more creative policy analysts.