Even his most ruthless critics in the Faculty’s ranks would have a tough time coming up with questions as unrelenting as the ones University President Lawrence H. Summers faced yesterday from the students in Religion 1529, “Personal Choice and Global Transformation.”

Although he served as treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, Summers is by many accounts the most conservative of the 23 speakers scheduled to appear before the popular class’ 612 students. Yesterday, he fielded tough queries on a range of topics, including his leadership style, legacy at Harvard and student civil disobedience.

Even Lecturer on the Study of Religion Brian C.W. Palmer ’86—usually full of praise for his guest lecturers—challenged Summers’ style at the University’s helm. He quoted from a profile of Summers, published last August in the New York Times Magazine, which said that many people don’t like Summers and his “aggressive and challenging” leadership style.

Summers, who appeared slightly taken aback by Palmer’s remarks, said, “This is quite unlike any other experience I’ve had since I came to the University.”

“I realize that this will be my last such experience,” Palmer shot back to audience applause, alluding to his impending departure at the end of this semester when his lectureship will expire.

Palmer asked Summers to give two examples of his leadership, one of his aggressive style and one “Gandhian” instance in which he led by example.

In response, Summers cited his aggressive leadership in urging the U.S. government to bail out Mexico with a $25 billion loan in 1995. He then characterized his role in pushing for Harvard’s new financial aid initiative as leading by example. The new policy eliminates the parental tuition contributions for families making under $40,000 annually and lowers the parental contribution for households that earn between $40,000 and $60,000 annually.

Summers next fielded a question from Ellen C. Quigley ’07, who was enrolled in his fall term freshman seminar, about his views on Palmer’s class. She said the course’s focus on “compassion over cash” and “social emphasis over hard data” probably did not suit Summers.

Summers conceded that he did disagree with some of the course material, although he insisted that there is a place for such courses at Harvard.

“A certain number of views expressed in the syllabus of this course I think are silly...are not supported by hard data,” Summers said. But he added that “it’s the glory of a university that my views are not the views that set the curriculum of the University.”

Grace C. Wilentz ’07 asked Summers whether Harvard should be more active in social causes. She also asked him whether he thought the University should be more democratic.

Summers insisted that Harvard must stay out of politics. He cited A. Lawrence Lowell, class of 1887, and James Bryant Conant ’14 as examples of former University presidents whose past involvement in politics had negative consequences.

Lowell famously galvanized the Faculty to oppose the appointment of Louis D. Brandeis to the Supreme Court and Conant tried to rid Harvard of suspected Communists during the 1950s.

“We will make a grave mistake if we become a political institution,” Summers said. “There would be nothing I could do that would be as damaging to this institution.”

When Summers finished, Palmer said he had not fully answered Wilentz’s question, asking to him address the second part—whether the University should be more democratic.