As part of the HUSV 1101 Human Services and Social Change, Professor Gardinier, added a component to her course to get students off of their screens and out of their rooms this semester. During covid, she developed a socially distanced walking lecture utilizing the community resources and an unsuspecting setting packed with both academic content and beautiful scenery.
The result was an engaging tour of Mt. Auburn Cemetery on the Cambridge/Watertown line which is on the old Stone farm. Here highlighting she was able to highlight some of Boston’s earliest leaders including Dorothea Dix, who spent decades advocating for the humane treatment of individuals living with mental health challenges and Clement G. Morgan, a founder of Boston’s NAACP and a member of the Niagara Movement.
Like our campus, the cemetery is also an arboretum. While the event was optional for students the 20 or so who attended not only got to enjoyed conversations with both classmates and upperclassmen who supported the day’s activities, but also a treat from local bakery Sofra.
