We live in an age of rising inequality, dazzling technological innovations, economic volatility, geopolitical uncertainty, and the accumulating impact of climate change. These conditions confront our political leaders and us as citizens of a democracy plagued by dysfunction. What are the implications for our nation?

Led by Rob Reich (Political Science, Stanford), David Kennedy (History, Stanford), and James Steyer (CEO, Common Sense Media), this course will bring together distinguished analysts of American politics. Together, we will examine the abundant challenges and opportunities of major themes contributing to the health, or disease, of the United States body politic: inequality, energy and the environment, media and technology, the economy, and the 2014 midterm elections.

Confirmed guests for the class include Mark McKinnon, Steve Schmidt, Gavin Newsom, Reed Hastings, Lisa Jackson, Steven Chu, Angela Glover Blackwell, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Kara Swisher.

GIVING WISELY: PRACTICAL STEPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CHARITABLE DOLLARS

https://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/courses/detail/20141_WSP-252

With so many nonprofit organizations seeking support, how do you make the wisest use of your giving dollars? How do you know which organizations are really making a difference? With so many organizations and causes in need, how do you find projects and groups that will really leverage your money?

This course is an interactive, practical program designed to help you make sense of where and how to make smart gifts. We will examine how to identify promising organizations, how to compare different organizations in a given field, what questions to ask when considering supporting a group, and how to work with others to maximize your giving. We will look at how small gifts can be structured to have major impact, and, along the way, we will learn what has worked well and not so well in a variety of giving areas, both domestically and globally. Guest speakers will share their experience and knowledge as well.

About Christine Sherry, Visiting Practitioner, Stanford Center on Philanthropy; Philanthropy Consultant: Christine Sherry works with high-impact foundations, donors, and nonprofits to help them achieve their strategic philanthropy goals. She was the founding executive director of The Philanthropy Workshop West at the Hewlett Foundation, where she worked with more than 100 high-net-worth donors. She has also served on numerous nonprofit boards including the San Francisco Ballet. She received a JD from UC Berkeley.