A second goal of the course is to bring the study of religion into conversation with those seeking to improve the lot of humanity through government service, public policy, diplomacy and human rights work. Co-taught by a former government official with expertise in international relations (Harf) and a scholar of religion from Penn (Weitzman), the course is built around a series of public lectures led by experts in religious studies and public policy, and will include opportunities for dialogue across
the boundaries between academia, government, business, activism, and personal belief.
Marie Harf is the executive director of the Perry World House and before that, served ais a national security policy and communications strategist. She began her government career in the CIA and has since held a variety of senior roles in government and politics, including serving as a key member of Secretary John Kerry’s team during his tenure leading the State Department during the Obama Administration. Since leaving government service, she has taught at Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service and has worked as a political commentator on television and radio.
Steven Weitzman is a faculty member in Penn’s Religious Studies department, serving as the Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures and as director of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Although most of his work focuses on Jewish Studies, he is also interested in the interconnections between religion and government as reflected in the book The FBI and Religion: Faith and National Security before and After 9/11 and in publications on the role of religion and spirituality in American military culture.