Professor Lawrence J. Vale shows provocative images from early advertisements to demonstrate some of society's long-held attitudes toward public housing and those who live in public housing. He analyzes government policies as they evolved to provide housing to 'reward people who are most deserving' of assistance, or to provide housing assistance as a 'coping mechanism.'
Professor Paul L. Penfield, Jr., follows the history and development of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since the department's founding in 1913. He discusses the contributions of the program to science and technology at large and the possible development of the program in future.
Professor Pauline Maier discusses her experiences teaching U.S. history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from the American Revolution to the current events in Iraq.
Economist and author Dr. Julianne Malveaux delivers the keynote address for MIT's Annual Breakfast Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., contrasting the values and goals of the civil rights movement with enduring direct and indirect abuses and denials of civil rights.
Professor and author Howard Zinn traces the evocation of divine right and approval as a force in U.S. politics, looking at how it has been used to support economic and military interests. He focuses particularly on how it has been used to justify war and violent action, both in the past and today, in the Middle East.
Professor Eric Foner traces the development of the concept of "freedom" in the U.S., beginning with the nation's founding and continuing up to 2005 (the present day at the time of the lecture). He focuses on race relations and fights by minorities for civil liberties as focus points for the definition of freedom.
Professor Leo Marx presents the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Jay Gatsby, as "a representative American," using the arc of the character's development to explore popular myths and understandings of U.S. origins, developments, and dangers.
Professors John W. Dower and Charles S. Maier contrast previous U.S. foreign policy events and relations with the current situation in Iraq, focusing on the U.S. occupation of Japan following World War II and the Marshall Plan designed to stop the spread of Communism in Western Europe.
Professors Robert E. Looney and Executive Director of the Center for International Studies at MIT John Tirman discuss the economy of Iraq, including its past state, its current condition, and the possibilities for its future development. They examine the U.S.'s plans for economic reform in Iraq and their effects so far, and project that past and current conditions will lead to instability and further conflict in the country.
The House of David Museum presents the story of the Christian religious community known as the House of David, founded in 1903. Members created most, if not all, of the items which they needed or desired for the rest of the community. At its height during the 1930s, the House of David served the early U.S. tourist population through its own amusement park, hotels, and restaurants, among other amenities. The House of David was also known for its baseball prowess, and would play games against teams in the Negro Leagues—unthinkable at a time when sports were so stringently divided by race.
The museum offers exhibits and self-guided tours. Appointments are required for groups of 25 or more. Groups receive an introduction and, when possible, a guided tour.