MIT empowers students with the resources to advance science and engineering — yet a new course intends to ensure they also cultivate their own principles and learn how to navigate differing perspectives.

Introduced as a pilot this past spring, the interdisciplinary course 21.01 (Compass Course: Love, Death, and Taxes: How to Think — and Communicate with Others — About Being Human), encourages students to confront challenging inquiries such as:

• What do we cherish (and why)?
• What do we understand (and how do we come to that knowledge)?
• What do we owe one another (and what actions should we take in response)?

This class is part of the Compass Initiative, spearheaded by educators from various departments within the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS).

Lily L. Tsai, Ford Professor of Political Science and chief faculty member for Compass, states that the new course aims to assist students in utilizing the humanities and social sciences as a framework to contemplate the type of individuals they aspire to be and the society they wish to contribute to.

“At MIT, we are among those developing the technologies that expedite change and lead to greater unpredictability globally. We bear a unique responsibility to envision and reinvent a moral and civic education that empowers individuals to navigate this landscape,” Tsai remarks.

The course is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration involving more than 30 faculty from 19 departments, covering fields from Philosophy and Literature to Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, all coordinated by a core group of 14 faculty from SHASS along with a student advisory panel.

During its inaugural semester, Compass followed a trajectory that began with students examining issues of value. In the early weeks of the course, students analyzed what constitutes genius, referencing Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” as a case study, supplemented by lectures from Emily Richmond Pollock, associate professor of music, and a podcast dialogue featuring Larry Guth, professor of mathematics, and David Kaiser, professor of physics and science, technology, and society.

Students subsequently engaged with the idea of a meritocratic society by investigating the imperial Chinese civil service examination example, mentored by history professor Tristan Brown. They then questioned the authenticity of human knowledge by studying the universality of language through lectures by professor of linguistics Adam Albright, along with the philosophy of truth and knowledge led by professor of philosophy Alex Byrne.

The semester concluded with stimulating discussions regarding what individuals owe each other, including a session designed by Nobel laureate and professor of economics Esther Duflo centered around taxation and climate responsibilities.

Above all, Tsai hopes that Compass equips students to navigate residence hall corridors, family Thanksgiving gatherings, or future labs and board meetings, learning how to articulate their thoughts while actively listening to others with differing views — all without silencing one another.

The course employs a “flipped classroom” model: Students view recorded lectures at home and arrive in class ready for engaging discussion and debate. Each section is jointly taught by two faculty members, blending disciplines and viewpoints.

Second-year mechanical engineering student Kayode Dada enrolled because it met a communications-focused requirement and offered interdisciplinary exposure. However, Compass ultimately meant more to him. “College isn’t solely about acquiring scientific knowledge — it’s also about our personal growth,” he shares. Dada was assigned to a section co-taught by Tsai and professor of literature Arthur Bahr.

Establishing a social contract

Within the first week, students create a Rousseau-inspired social compact, learning firsthand how to foster a classroom community. “We understood these were profound topics,” Dada explains. “To gain the most from the class, we had to be open, show respect for one another, and maintain confidentiality in discussions.”

An early activity proved especially influential. After watching lectures by Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies Sally Haslanger on values, students were tasked with illustrating a map that depicted their values, indicating connections from those that were more pragmatic to those deemed fundamental.

Initially, Dada felt at a standstill. Raised in Kentucky as the son of a Nigerian immigrant who had aspired to attend MIT himself, Dada had dedicated years to gaining admission to the Institute. “I believed that securing a place at MIT would bring me fulfillment,” he confesses. “But once I arrived, I realized that effort alone wasn’t sufficient.”

The values exercise helped redirect his focus. He recognized practicing Christianity, diligence, helping others, and contributing to society as crucial components of his value system. This revelation prompted Dada to volunteer at a robotics camp in Louisville, where he could share his MIT education with others.

Who governs science? 

As the semester progressed, Dada compellingly portrayed a figure whose beliefs clashed with his own: James D. Watson, the Nobel Prize laureate who co-discovered DNA’s structure — and is also a divisive figure.

That week, each participant had been assigned a persona from a 1976 Cambridge City Council hearing deliberating recombinant DNA research. The class, devised by Associate Professor Robin Scheffler, examined the question: Who oversees science — scientists, the government, research funders, or the public?

They revisited a genuine debate surrounding recombinant DNA research and the perceived threats it posed for biological weapons development and other public dangers, as believed by citizens during that era, when conducted in MIT and Harvard University laboratories. Introduced in the 1970s, the technique involved gene splicing related to the E. coli bacterium. Within the Compass classroom, students debated differing positions from their personas: prohibiting the research, relocating labs beyond city limits, or continuing without governmental interference.

Dada mentions how faculty purposefully introduced contradictory views. “It taught me how to engage with someone holding different values and arrive at a resolution that honors everyone involved,” he states. “That’s an experience I wish to continue exploring.”

When Dada concluded his presentation with hastily-Googled sentimental music unexpectedly playing from his phone, his peers chuckled appreciatively. The atmosphere felt more personal than academic — a culture Tsai sought to foster. “They truly developed intellectual connections founded on trust,” she remarks. “There was an abundance of laughter. They found joy in disagreement and debate.”

Transforming opinions

First-year student-athlete Shannon Cordle, pursuing a major in mechanical engineering, had no expectations from Compass. As it was a new offering, there were no prior student reviews. What caught her attention was the grading system: 15 percent of the final grade is based on a criteria each student established for themselves.

Cordle’s objective was to become more comfortable voicing an opinion — even before it was fully formed. “It’s simple to remain silent when you’re uncertain,” she states. “Compass assisted me in practicing how to speak up and accept the possibility of being wrong, because that’s fundamental to learning.”

One week, the class deliberated whether a meritocracy fosters a fair society — an especially pertinent topic at MIT, given its famously selective admissions process. 

Students could select their position beforehand but were encouraged to adjust it as they gained further perspectives throughout the debate.

“This empowers students to not only recognize the shortcomings in opposing viewpoints but also enhances their own arguments,” Tsai emphasizes.

Cordle, aspiring to work in prosthetics, sees her future career as embodying the ideal fusion of creativity and ethics. “The humanities challenge our perceptions of our fields as scientists and engineers,” she asserts.

A compass aids travelers in finding their direction — but it’s most instrumental when they must reorient and alter course. In that spirit, Compass equips students not just to pose substantial questions, but to persist in querying — and to keep adapting — as their lives and careers evolve.

“Combining these unexpected classroom elements with students and faculty created a magical synergy — a transformation we had not even realized we could achieve,” Tsai concludes.

In addition to this course, the MIT Compass Podcast delves into these essential inquiries with guests from across MIT’s schools of Science and Engineering. There are also plans to adapt this course for online learners through MITx.

Moreover, in addition to philanthropic backing from MIT Corporation life member emeritus Ray Stata ’57, the initiative receives support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor and the MIT Human Insight Collaborative‘s SHASS Education Innovation Fund, which promotes novel, transformative educational methods in SHASS disciplines.