Lifelong Learning

Virtual Event

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

Join the USC Center for the Political Future on Wednesday, September 16 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm in The Forum for a conversation about the state of American education. How did Mississippi surpass California in educational outcomes? Do charter schools and voucher programs undermine public instruction? Are teacher unions part of the problem or part of the solution to better education in America? Join top experts in this lively discussion about which reforms are working and which ones are not.

Virtual Event

Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

ICW proudly welcomes Dr. Dan Lynch, who will join Bill Deverell in conversation about his new book, Dancing with Manifest Destiny: Elite Men of Color and the Making of Los Angeles. Dr. Lynch will discuss how influential Black, Latino, Asian American, and Indigenous leaders helped shape Los Angeles while navigating the political forces of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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

Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

The original play featured a teenage girl working at a gas station and oil field during the German invasion of France in 1940. Following the play, Oliver Mayer, Bart DeLorenzo, USC Dornsife professors Manuel Pastor and Béatrice Mousli, and student performers will discuss the creative process behind the adaptation and themes of resistance, community, and social change.

Virtual Event

Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

Join Kevin Waite and Marne Campbell, in conversation with Bill Deverell, for a compelling dialogue about Waite’s new book The Boundless Biddy Mason: An Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom Across the American West. In this groundbreaking biography, Waite traces the remarkable life of Biddy Mason, who endured a 3,000-mile forced journey from slavery in Georgia to California, secured her freedom through a landmark court case, and went on to become a healer, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential founders of Black Los Angeles.

743 South Lucerne Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90005, The Ebell of Los Angeles

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Michelle Azar’s acclaimed solo play explores her richly layered American, Israeli, and Middle Eastern heritage. Through storytelling, song, movement, and the live music of oud and piano, she invites audiences into a deeply personal journey that becomes a shared human experience.

Doheny Memorial Library (DML), 240, University Park Campus 

Monday, October 12, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Join Associate Professor Peng Xu of ShanghaiTech University for a discussion of The Courtesan’s Memory, Voice, and Late Ming Drama, moderated by USC Dornsife Professor Mengxiao Wang. Discover how courtesan performance culture transformed late Ming theater, challenging male-centered narratives and redefining gender, creativity, and literary history today.

University Park Campus

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

The Seminal Scholars Residency is an annual initiative
of the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies. Designed to bridge scholarship and public engagement, the residency brings leading thinkers in Armenian Studies to USC for immersive programs including
lectures, workshops, and student mentorship. Join the Institute for the first public lecture of the 2026 residency with preeminent scholar Dr. Khachig Tölölyan, one of the founders of the field of diaspora studies.

Location Provided at Registration

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Hear from Palestinian-American author and advocate Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib and Director of Academic Programming at USC Casden Institute Lisa Ansell as they explore the complexities of the current geopolitical moment and share their unique viewpoints on the Middle East. The conversation will be moderated by Bel Air Church Reverend Dr. Drew Sams and Valley Beth Shalom Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, PhD.

Vineyard Room, USC Davidson Conference Center, University Park Campus 

Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

Explore California’s 2026 ballot initiatives with an expert panel examining major measures on taxes, housing, criminal justice, environmental policy, voter ID, and direct democracy. Gain balanced insight into funding, impacts, and the choices facing voters this November before casting ballots.

2713 Severance Street Los Angeles, CA 90007, Chabad Jewish Student Center at USC 

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Sora Vigorito is one of the very few twin survivors of Josef Mengele’s twin experiments at Auschwitz. Join us for this extraordinary opportunity to hear her firsthand testimony of survival, resilience, and the importance of remembrance.

Bovard Auditorium, University Park Campus

Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

In this live recording of the podcast, Sloan and Harding will break down current hits and beloved classics through live performances by USC Thornton students and special guest artist and USC alum Jensen McRae. Whether you’re a devoted pop fan, an aspiring musician, or simply curious about what makes a hit song stick, you’ll leave hearing and understanding music in a whole new way.

Town and Gown, University Park Campus

Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 4:45 p.m.

Featuring Ayelet Tsabari, author of the award-winning novel Songs for the Brokenhearted, will discuss the process of re-finding and reclaiming her Jewish Yemini identity through writing and through extensive research into Jewish Yemini Culture and traditions.

Town and Gown, University Park Campus

Friday, November 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

This annual conference brings together experts from politics, government, media, and academia to explore the most pressing issues in America’s political landscape. This year, practitioners and analysts will come together to look back at the 2026 midterms and ahead
to the 2028 presidential race. Panels include a post-mortem of key 2026 races examining what actually moved voters and where campaigns misread the political environment, a look at governing amid a new Congress, and an early read on the 2028 presidential landscape

Mayer Auditorium, University Park Campus

Monday, February 8, 2027 at 12:00 p.m.

One of television’s most talked-about medical dramas, The Pitt has captivated audiences with its striking realism and unflinching portrayal of life inside a hospital emergency room. Join writers and actors from the series alongside health care professionals and media experts for a behind-the-scenes conversation about the show’s impact on medical education and clinical care, with a particular emphasis on representations of clinical team relationships, burnout, and health justice.

Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts (RZC), Michelle & Kevin Douglas IMAX Theater

Wednesday, February 10, 2027 at 6:00 p.m.

A celebrated actress with over 40 film and television credits, Bae Doona is a globally recognized and renowned figure of the South Korean mediascape. Paying homage to her three-decade career, Walking in Between: A Bae Doona Retrospective begins with a roundtable discussion on Korean cinema through the lens of Bae’s filmography followed by a screening of Cloud Atlas (2012), Bae’s first foray in Hollywood.

Ray Stark Family Theatre (SCA), University Park Campus

Thursday, February 11, 2027 at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a screening of Air Doll (2009), followed by a rare in-person conversation with actor Bae Doona and acclaimed director Kore-eda Hirokazu, moderated by Akira Lippit of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Directed by Palme d’Or winner Kore-eda Hirokazu, Air Doll stars Bae Doona as Nozomi, an inflatable sex doll who mysteriously comes to life and learns to navigate modern Tokyo. Through Bae Doona’s manic yet subdued performance, the film transforms an unconventional premise into a moving reflection on longing, connection, and what it means to be human.

Norris Cinema Theatre (NCT), University Park Campus

Friday, February 12, 2027 at 7:00 p.m.

Celebrate the conclusion of the Bae Doona retrospective with a screening of Take Care of My Cat (2001), followed by a conversation with actor Bae Doona and director Jeong Jae-eun, moderated by Youngmin Choe, Chair of USC Dornsife’s Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Doheny Memorial Library (DML), 240 and 241, University Park Campus

Thursday, March 25, 2027 at 5:30 p.m.

Explore the enduring legacy of redlining through a dynamic evening of dialogue, discovery, and creative engagement. Through conversations, hands-on activities, archival exploration, and guided walking tours, uncover how redlining shaped the city and continues to influence housing, infrastructure, and environmental justice today.

Town and Gown, University Park Campus

Wednesday, April 7, 2026

A signature USC Earth Month event, the annual conference hosts experts from politics, government, media and academia to discuss climate change issues with a focus on finding practical policy and business solutions as well identifying ways to remove political obstacles in the implementation. Panelists will discuss the effects of the presidential election on climate policy.

Ray Stark Family Theatre (SCA), University Park Campus

Thursday, April 8, 2027 at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for a screening of Manufacturing the Enemy, a powerful documentary that explores how Western media has constructed and perpetuated harmful narratives about Arabs and Muslims—and the real-world consequences of those portrayals.

USC alumnus Sufian Abulohom will be joined by featured experts Evelyn Alsultany, Hatem Bazian, and Dalia Fahmy for a conversation and Q&A on the film.

Wong Conference Center (HAR), University Park Campus

Saturday, April 10, 2027 at 1:00 p.m.

Sunshine to Shade: Moving to Cool invites participants to consider how shade functions in our hot city. Discover new ways of seeing and designing for the spaces around you while imagining a cooler, more resilient future.

Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs, Institute of Armenian Studies, DMC 351, University Park Campus

Tuesday, April 20, 2027 at 12:00 p.m

Join artist and filmmaker Hande Sever and designer, publisher, and educator Katie Giritlian for an interactive workshop on storytelling with historical photographs. Organized by USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research and USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies.

Ginsburg Hall, University Park Campus

Tuesday, April 20, 2027 at 6:30 p.m.

Experience a screening of artist and filmmaker Hande Sever’s History-Geography, an experimental documentary film that examines German and Ottoman imperialism in West Asia during World War I through archival photographs and documents, including a personal photo album made by a German officer stationed in the former Ottoman Empire and dedicated to a distant lover.