Events

Each year, during the month of January, the University of Pennsylvania and our surrounding communities come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The commemoration reminds us of our interdependence and reaffirms our commitment to the betterment of our communities through civility and service.  See also the calendar of events.

Native American Student Success: The Effect of Tribal Colleges and Universities on Native American Student Retention.  The program will explore the ways in which mainstream four-year institutions can support their Native American student populations. 

Featuring: Marybeth Gasman, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Penn GSE; Maggie McKinley, J.D., Assistant Professor of Law, Penn Law; Margaret Bruchac, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Penn SAS.

Join us for Strengthening Ties within the African Diaspora in the Age of “Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo.”

Annenberg Seminar: Federico Marcon, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies and History, Princeton University and Rebecca L. Spang, Professor of History, Indiana University. Roundtable Discussion: "Writing the History of Money: Perspectives from Japan and France"

In May 2010, the “Tivoli Incursion,” a standoff between Jamaican security forces and a local drug trafficker and community leader wanted for extradition by the United States government, resulted in the death of at least 75 civilians in West Kingston on the island of Jamaica. This new exhibition—part art installation, part memorial, and part call to action—sheds light on those events through compelling video and audio footage featuring firsthand accounts of people directly impacted by the violence.

This new exhibition, created in conjunction with the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, sheds light on the ongoing destruction of cultural heritage in the Middle East by showing what’s at stake—the rich history of the region and the diversity of its people—and what’s being done to prevent the loss of this history and cultural identity. Fascinating ancient art and artifacts from the Penn Museum’s extensive Near East collection tell stories of the cultures of Syria and Iraq through time. Contemporary artwork from Issam Kourbaj, a Syrian artist based in Cambridge, UK, provides an art intervention—a modern-day response to the artifacts and themes. The exhibition features the important work being done by the University of Pennsylvania and Smithsonian Institution in conjunction with individuals and groups in the Middle East to help combat the loss of irreplaceable cultural heritage.

PAAFF’s marquee celebration is the annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, the first and only event of its kind in Philadelphia. The festival brings in audience members from all over the region and Asian American filmmakers, actors, and leaders from around the world. PAAFF also offer numerous smaller film screenings throughout the year.

As one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the country and Philadelphia’s first film festival, the mission of the Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival is to educate and engage diverse Philadelphia communities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, by presenting world-class film premieres, repertory cinema, and associated programs that are inspired by Jewish history, heritage, and values.

Penn will host the 4th edition of the Quechua Alliance Annual Meeting, the biggest Quechua gathering in the United States.  The event aims to promote an exchange of ideas between Quechua speakers, community leaders, college students and professors who share an interest and passion for Quechua languageand Andean culture. This is a space for young people to become dynamic leaders in the academic context where there is an increasing interest in Indigenous languages and cultures of the Americas.  The Quechua Alliance Meeting has the format of a one-day gatheringwith cultural activities, lectures, games, debates and dialogues.  We are building a strong network and community of Quechua language enthusiasts.

This seminar brings together panelists Jama Shelton (Hunter Social Work), Monica Kramer (Penn French), and Erin Cross (Penn LGBT Center/GSE) to consider the following questions: how can we rethink the gender dynamics of the classroom? In what ways does the classroom space tend to exclude trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming populations, and how can we change this reality? Focusing on praxis, this workshop aims to help instructors across all fields develop concrete strategies for gender inclusivity. The session will feature three panelists from different fields who will speak to their own experience teaching beyond the gender binary, offer techniques and suggestions, and then lead a discussion with the whole group in an interactive workshop format.