ASAM2920 - Compassionate Leadership: Power Love, Service and Inner-Work Experiencing the Life of Gandhi

This course invites students to explore the legacies of Compassion–based leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Grace Lee Boggs, Nipun Mehta, Tony Hsieh and more. Through analysis of their lives, teachings and practices, participants will examine and practice the principles of nonviolence, service, the transformative power of love, and the “inner-work” required to have deeper impact in the world. The course will highlight how these leaders’ approaches to social change and ethical living can be applied in today's globalized world. For example, understanding the powerful life work of people like Grace Lee Boggs will help guide us in digging deeper in what it means to simultaneously build and serve our respective communities. The course will focus on constructive and experiential application, reflection and critical analysis, personal practices and experiments (“inner-work”) that the students will do to experience the philosophy and actions of these leaders first-hand and not just intellectually. It will require stepping a bit deeper into the Philadelphia community as well, through group activities such as a walking pilgrimage in the city, a volunteer service project, a campaign utilizing the power of 'non-violence' and more. The course will culminate in January 2026 with a service trip with Nimo and Chaz to the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India to explore the learnings and ideas practiced through the course. The Gandhi Ashram is one of the most iconic sites in India, as it is the birth-place of the non-violent freedom movement of India that Mahatma Gandhi started in 1917, after moving back to India from South Africa. Ahmedabad city, is the 1st UNESCO World Heritage City of India and one of only 3 in the Country.