3Thu-1C-5a: Prominent Female Leaders of the 20th Century
Class | Registration opens 7/28/25 10:00 AM
As a counterpart to last fall’s course on male leaders, this course will be devoted to female leaders of the 20th century, who shaped modern history across political, cultural, and religious landscapes. We will focus on six pioneering figures from diverse backgrounds and analyze their leadership styles during pivotal moments of national and international significance. We chose two Muslims, a Hindu, two Christians and a Jew – Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Indira Gandhi, Corazon Aquino, Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir. We were not, unfortunately, able to include a US president. We are looking forward to including one in our lifetime.
The class format will be lectures that encourage discussion. Weekly preparation will be about two hours with links to articles and videos and suggestions for books to be read prior to the start of the course.
Margalit Lai
Margalit Lai: I have given several courses over the years at LLAIC and found that history is my real niche. My last course was about five 20th century male leaders. Other courses I have given over the years were about the British empire, Israel, the history of Russia and Atheism.
Margaret Dergalis
Margaret Dergalis: My background as a secondary school teacher coupled with my love of history, memoir, and biography make this course a logical fit. Last fall I teamed up with Margalit as we gave together the course about five male leaders of the 20th century. I enjoy sharing the role as course leader for LLAIC and LLARC.