Lifelong Learning

Virtual Event

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

The recent bilingual publication Mugai Nyodai: The Woman Who Opened Zen Gates reconstructs the life of the historical Nyodai based on close readings of primary sources. The webinar features two of the book’s authors, Monica Bethe and Patricia Fister, who will discuss aspects of the book and share some of the extant portrait statues and paintings of Nyodai and other material objects associated with her.

Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall (VPD), Room 203, University Park Campus 

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

Organized by the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research. In her doctoral research, Lauren Ashley Bradford is exploring women’s participation in racially motivated public violence across Nazi Germany and Jim Crow America. In this talk, Bradford will discuss the methodological challenges and unexpected discoveries encountered while conducting this research. She will share how she navigates the difficulties of locating women’s actions in historical archives, particularly when searching for women’s narratives and the historically marginalized voices of Jewish and Black communities.

USC Brain and Creativity Institute’s Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall (BCI), University Park Campus

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

“A System in Collapse Is a System Moving Forward”

A Dance Performance-Lecture by Aimar Pérez Galí and Daniel Méndez Piña

Reception to follow.

Panelists:

Aimar Pérez Galí, Dancer

Amelia Jones, Vice Dean and Professor, USC Roski School of Art and Design

Patrick Corbin, Associate Professor, USC Kaufman School of Dance

Gian Maria Annovi, Associate Professor, Italian and Comparative Literature, USC Dornsife College

Miguel Caballero-Vázquez, Assistant Professor, Iberian Studies, Northwestern University

School of Cinematic Arts – SCA (SCA), 110, University Park Campus

Friday, April 18th, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

Join KSI and filmmaker Danny Kim for an evening of discussion about recycling practices in South Korea, with a screening of the eco-documentary ZERO WASTE and a conversation to follow with experts in the field. Sponsored by the Korean Studies Institute. Co-sponsored by the East Asian Studies Center, the Levan Institute for the Humanities, the Institute for Ecological Futures, and the Environmental Humanities Working Group.

Virtual Event

Monday, April 21, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

Please join us as the Spatial Sciences Institute continues our celebration of Earth Month with a guest presentation followed by a discussion with Professor Bo Zhao. Dr. Zhao runs the Humanistic GIS Lab, and area that delves into how GIS and human experiences interact, influencing societal structures, behaviors, and experiences.

Doheny Memorial Library, Room 240, University Park Campus

Monday, April 21, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

A public lecture by Atina Grossmann (Professor of History, The Cooper Union)
2024-2025 Sara and Asa Shapiro Scholar in Residence

Organized by the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research with cooperation from the USC Shoah Foundation

In this distinguished lecture, Professor Atina Grossmann shares exciting new work by herself and a transnational cohort of Holocaust scholars on the ambivalent, paradoxical, and varied experiences, emotions, and memories of Jews who found refuge from National Socialism and the Holocaust in India and Iran after 1933.

Virtual Event

Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

A discussion of Admire Mseba’s new book, Society, Power, and Land in Northeastern Zimbabwe, ca. 1560–1960 (Ohio University Press, 2024). The author will be joined in conversation by Mariana Candido (Emory University) and David Hughes (Rutgers University), moderated by Lindsay O’Neill (USC). Organized in partnership with the Van Hunnick History Department and the Department of Anthropology.

Virtual Event 

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Join Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch, Chris Benner, and Manuel Pastor for an online film screening and a discussion of the themes in their latest book Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future.

Computer History Museum

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.

Join us for an exclusive evening with Interim Dean Moh El-Naggar as USC Dornsife brings the spirit of innovation and discovery to the heart of Silicon Valley. Connect with fellow alumni, parents, and faculty to gain insights into the future of interdisciplinary research, and explore how Dornsife scholars are shaping the world through science, technology, and the humanities.

Ray Stark Family Theatre, University Park Campus

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, Bridge Entertainment Labs, and the USC Dornsife Wrigley Institute of Environment and Sustainability invite you to join a screening of True False Hot Cold.

This award-winning documentary is centered around climate change, empathy, and civil discourse. It was filmed in Utah over the course of one summer in a county where many residents don’t believe in climate change. Instead of focusing on the obvious divisions, the documentary offers ideas about building bridges with people who have very different identities and beliefs.

Virtual Event

Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

Join the USC Institute on California and the West for a conversation between Professors Alice Baumgartner and Katria Jagodinsky, moderated by Professor Julian Lim, about their current research projects on the legal ramifications of freedom and unfreedom in the American West from the late 19th into the early 20th centuries.

Davidson Conference Center, Vineyard Room, University Park Campus

Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.

Join CPF Director Bob Shrum and renowned foreign policy experts Ben Rhodes and Max Boot for an insightful discussion on the war in Gaza to the post-Assad government in Syria, new challenges have emerged in the path toward achieving peace in the Middle East. Is a 2-state solution currently viable or fantasy? Is the status quo tenable? What about proposals for a single state? What does the US support and what do major regional players support? Given where we are, what are the most viable pathways to peace between Israel and its neighbors?

Arrive early for check in. Reception to follow.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Friday, May 2, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.

With expert speakers and panels, we will explore the impact of dams on the environment, communities, and water resources, and the debate and ramifications of dam removal in the American West. Don’t miss this opportunity to dive deep into the complex world of dam management, removal, and environmental conservation. See you there!

Please note: This event includes 2 parts, which can be registered for together or separately.

Overview of the Day:

9:30am – 3:00pm: Expert Presentations & Panel Discussions, Stewart R. Smith Boardroom

7:00pm – 8:30pm: Keynote Speaker, Rothenberg Hall and Roy C. Ritchie Auditorium

Virtual Event

Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

A discussion of Emily Hodgson Anderson’s new book, Shadow Work: Loneliness and the Literary Life (Columbia University Press, 2025). The author will be joined in conversation by Julia Lee (Loyola Marymount University) and Anahid Nersessian (UCLA), moderated by Dana Johnson (USC). Organized in partnership with the Department of English and the Early Modern Studies Institute.

Virtual Event

Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

The USC Center for the Political Future (CPF) is partnering with The Village Square and Florida Humanities for their “UNUM: Democracy Reignited” series to host a discussion about transforming toxic polarization in the United States using lessons from international peacebuilding efforts.

USC Michelsen Center (MCB 102), University Park Campus

Friday, May 9, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

On this panel, prominent organizers and researchers explore how social movements are navigating this complex political terrain of our present day and the role of research in documenting and supporting that work.

Light refreshments and parking provided. 

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.

The USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences will host one Academic School Ceremony at 9:00 A.M. on Friday, May 16, 2025 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This is an opportunity for graduates to celebrate as a cohort, hear remarks from a distinguished alumni speaker and be presented with their official diploma cover.