Academic Leadership Journal: Guns, Germs and Steel

"In our first two weeks, you have read two articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?" 

The concept of the class, Academic Leadership, possibly teaches students how to make good conversations and make good projects, such as Jared Diamond's book Guns Germs and Steel, based on nearly thirty years of research on why certain communities are poor when they have such innovation, like in New Guinea. The subjects I have an understanding in that could construct excellent major projects are computer sciences and logic, studies that are recommended for university students and gifted high-school students by the Institute for Mathematics And Computer Sciences (IMACS), courses I have done ever since 7th grade, second semester. 

The author of Guns Germs and Steel: Jared Diamond

The abuse of projects to manipulate others can be made by summarizing years of research into simpler terms and use in favor of the manipulator, similar to what Mitt Romney had done to Guns Germs and Steel to boost his political career. If someone used my work to manipulate others, I would feel that I wasted my research on the wrong reason. I would also feel less famous than the manipulator, who would possibly win admiration from more people than I could. 

Academically sophisticated leaders can prevent others from taking advantage of writers by proving that the writing is more than what they say it is, for whatever subject they wrote about earlier. This allows people to have an equal say on subjects and create a more democratic society. This society can have more equality in terms of speech, so why take advantage of someone else´s research to benefit your own if you can simply research the subject yourself?

Guns Germs and Steel Official Documentary: