Past Events

“The Events of January 6th and the Future of American Democracy”

Wednesday, January 27, 2021: 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Speakers:

  • Erica Chenoweth, Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs (HKS); Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute
  • Ryan Enos, Professor of Government (FAS)
  • Richard Fallon, Story Professor of Law (HLS)
  • Claudine Gay, Edgerley Family Dean (FAS); Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African American Studies (FAS); Senior Fellow of the Society of Fellows (FAS)
  • Harvey C. Mansfield, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government (FAS)
  • Daniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government (FAS)

At this roundtable, leading social scientists will discuss how we understand the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol and the implications of the attack and aftermath for the future of democracy in the United States.... Read more about “The Events of January 6th and the Future of American Democracy”

Teaching in Unprecedented Times: A Fall 2020 Showcase

Learning to Adapt, Adapting to Learn

A University-wide virtual event series: January 12-14, 2021
Program Agenda
Resources and video recordings
Teaching Innovations Gallery

Teaching in Unprecedented Times logo

The Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning, in partnership with Teaching and Learning Centers, hosted a University-wide virtual event series, "Teaching in Unprecedented Times: A Fall 2020 Showcase," to acknowledge this unprecedented semester and honor the efforts of our faculty, staff, and students; surface some of the most impactful teaching innovations that have occurred, and how some of the most nagging challenges have been addressed; and inform and inspire for the future. More information about participating speakers and sessions can be viewed here.... Read more about Teaching in Unprecedented Times: A Fall 2020 Showcase

"Human Bridges in the Study of Race, Religion, Art, and Politics" with K. Healon Gaston & Steven Harris

Monday, December 7, 2020: 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar

This talk will explore teaching about difference in a Divinity School course that looks at connections between the Harlem Renaissance and Mexican Modernism during the 1920s and 1930s. Using holiday-themed examples and compelling visual images, we will juxtapose the lives and works of two important figures in the course: Miguel Covarrubias, a Mexican-born caricaturist who spent most of his life in New York City illustrating for Harlem Renaissance texts and popular magazines, and Elizabeth Catlett, a U.S.-born Black sculptor and printmaker who spent her life in Mexico where she created some of the most powerful symbols and images of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Covarrubias and Catlett captured our students' imaginations in part because they serve as "human bridges" connecting the United States with Mexico as well the past with the present. Please join for a lively and wide-ranging meditation on the dynamic interplay of race, religion, art, and politics, and the cross-fertilization between history and ethics.... Read more about "Human Bridges in the Study of Race, Religion, Art, and Politics" with K. Healon Gaston & Steven Harris

"Roundtable: Implications for the 2020 Elections"

Tuesday, November 17, 2020: 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Speakers:

  • Danielle Allen, Professor of Government and Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
  • Stephen Ansolabehere, Frank G. Thompson Professor of Government and Director of the Center for American Political Studies
  • Ryan Enos, Professor of Government
  • Roger Porter, IBM Professor of Business and Government
  • Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology
  • Jeffry Frieden (Moderator), Professor of Government

Five experts in American politics discuss the implications of the outcome of the 2020 general elections for the United States. How will its results affect government policies? How will the campaign and its results affect American politics?... Read more about "Roundtable: Implications for the 2020 Elections"

"Next Gen Success = Harvard Success: Inclusive Practices for Supporting First-Gen, Lower-Income Students In and Beyond the Classroom"

Tuesday, November 10, 2020: 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar
Q&A: Answers from speakers

Join members of the Harvard Next Gen Initiative to learn more about their Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund pilot program that consolidates, aligns, and enhances Harvard’s institutional supports for Next Gen student populations (predominantly first-gen, low-income students) in and beyond the classroom. This session presents an overview of the Next Gen student population, pedagogical tools that promote Next Gen Student Success, and how each one of us plays a role in strengthening Harvard’s commitment to inclusive excellence.... Read more about "Next Gen Success = Harvard Success: Inclusive Practices for Supporting First-Gen, Lower-Income Students In and Beyond the Classroom"

"Roadmap to Recovery and Resilience for Theater" with Diane Paulus and Joe Allen

Thursday, October 29, 2020: 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Dr. Joseph G. Allen, Assistant Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Diane Paulus, Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), will discuss the Roadmap for Recovery and Resilience for Theater created in partnership between the American Repertory Theater and the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the principles and guidance it offers to help theaters and other performing arts organizations promote health and safety.... Read more about "Roadmap to Recovery and Resilience for Theater" with Diane Paulus and Joe Allen

HILT Conference 2020

Championing Equitable Instruction and Inclusive Classrooms

Friday, October 16, 2020: 8:30am to 1:30pm
Via Zoom Webinar and Meeting
Event materials, videos, and resources

Decorative promotional image for HILT’s October 16, 2020 virtual conference on inclusive teaching practices

The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with newly energized movements opposing inequality and oppression of Black communities and people of color, highlights the importance of effective pedagogy in diverse classrooms and about difficult subjects. The transition to remote teaching has only emphasized the wide variety of challenges and privileges that students carry into their learning, and there is an increased need to address issues around socioeconomic constraints, accessibility, and differentiated learning. These issues, among many others, directly impact students’ ability to navigate hidden curricula, participate in charged/difficult conversations with their peers and instructors, and ask for help when they need it. As a result, faculty and academic professional staff across Harvard are implementing—or searching for—new approaches to bolstering equitable classroom instruction in our community and beyond.

The ninth annual HILT Conference will bring together a diverse, engaged, and engaging set of speakers and panelists to share their successes and challenges in building equitable learning opportunities, facilitating charged or difficult class discussions, and supporting students as they navigate rapidly shifting circumstances.... Read more about HILT Conference 2020

"How Good Accessibility Practices Enhance Online Teaching" with Shelby Acteson, Kelly Wisnaskas, Linda Sullivan, and Tim Rogers

Wednesday, September 30, 2020: 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar

When it comes to accessibility, it’s much better to be proactive than reactive—especially when designing major components of your courses. Furthermore, designing accessible courses helps provide equitable educational opportunities and added benefits for all learners. Join us to learn more from our panel of accessibility experts from across the University about the ways in which accessibility practices enhance classroom teaching and learning. Access additional resources via this link.

The panel addressed the questions below, followed by Q&A.

  • What are the challenges and opportunities in the digital environment?
  • What can we put in place right now that will enhance the learning experience for all?
... Read more about "How Good Accessibility Practices Enhance Online Teaching" with Shelby Acteson, Kelly Wisnaskas, Linda Sullivan, and Tim Rogers

"Pandemic and Politics" with Professor Jeffry Frieden and Dr. Tom Frieden

Thursday, September 10, 2020: 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Join two brothers, experts in politics and infectious disease, for a discussion of the political economy of public health. Dr. Tom Frieden is a physician with advanced training in internal medicine, infectious disease, public health, and epidemiology. He is one of the world’s top experts in tuberculosis, tobacco control, and health policy and administration. Professor Jeffry Frieden is Professor of Government and Chair of the Government Department at Harvard University. He specializes in the politics of international monetary and financial relations. Together, the two Friedens will explore the ways politics and economics have changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the how pandemic has changed the course of politics. Why has public health become a political football in the United States? Why has global public health become the focus of international conflict?... Read more about "Pandemic and Politics" with Professor Jeffry Frieden and Dr. Tom Frieden

"Ask Us Anything About Cybersecurity" featuring experts from Harvard University IT

Tuesday, August 11, 2020: 12:00pm to 12:50pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Our work environment may have changed, but cyber security risks and challenges remain the same. We seem to have more to worry about now. Are you concerned about recent phishing campaigns designed to prey on our COVID-19 worries? How about the security of your Zoom meetings? Maybe it's the return to work that has you worried. What security protections will be provided for your health information as you return to the office or classroom? In the spirit of easing your concerns in a friendly and approachable way, our Cyber Security panelists will answer your questions and provide reassurance about how to manage your remote work environment securely, offer suggestions for small and easy actions that will make a big impact, and provide insight into the really serious risks and what we can do about them. We’ll talk about everything... from identifying suspicious email to creating a super strong password to using your own virtual network to thwart hackers. Bring your questions and concerns and share your experiences with our experts. They’ll make you feel empowered to work and socialize remotely...securely.... Read more about "Ask Us Anything About Cybersecurity" featuring experts from Harvard University IT

"COVID-19 and Economic Opportunity Across ZIP Codes in America: New Insights from Big Data" with Raj Chetty

Tuesday, July 28, 2020: 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar
Co-sponsored by Harvard Summer School

This talk will first discuss how the COVID pandemic is affecting the American economy at the ZIP code level, drawing on new real time data to trace the impacts of the crisis on consumer spending, business, and employment prospects. It will then discuss the impacts of major policies enacted to date to mitigate economic losses - ranging from state-ordered shutdowns to the stimulus program -- and consider what approaches will best foster recovery and limit hardship for American families going forward. Finally, Dr. Chetty will discuss his recent work on the COVID crisis in the context of his research lab's broader work on equality of opportunity and racial equity, describing how the current crisis links to broader structural challenges in the American economy.... Read more about "COVID-19 and Economic Opportunity Across ZIP Codes in America: New Insights from Big Data" with Raj Chetty

"Superheroes and Moral Leadership: What Costumed Avengers Can Teach Us About Power and Responsibility" with Chris Robichaud

Thursday, July 23, 2020: 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar
Co-sponsored by Harvard Summer School

This session will use superhero narratives to explore some positive and negative lessons in moral leadership that these stories offer us. It will also examine several broad topics in ethics through a superhero lens. For instance, was the Joker correct in The Dark Knight when he claims that our morals are really just "a bad joke dropped at the first sign of trouble"? In the last panel of Amazing Fantasy 15, which introduces us to Spider-Man, Stan Lee writes that "in this world, with great power there must also come--great responsibility!" What is the exact link between the two? These questions and more will be interrogated, demonstrating how superhero stories provide us with many opportunities for productive moral reflection.... Read more about "Superheroes and Moral Leadership: What Costumed Avengers Can Teach Us About Power and Responsibility" with Chris Robichaud

"What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?" with John Stilgoe, Rebecca Nesson, Dustin Tingley, and Sandra Naddaff

Monday, July 20, 2020: 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar
Co-sponsored by Harvard Summer School

Does everybody know what they’re going into right out of college? We get the idea that by choosing a college, and choosing a major course of study while in college, we are choosing a career—a life-long career—as though we know at age or 18 or 20 what it is we’ll be excited about doing in our 30s and 40s—even our 80s. But does anybody really know that?... Read more about "What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?" with John Stilgoe, Rebecca Nesson, Dustin Tingley, and Sandra Naddaff

"Teaching Yourself and Others during the Pandemic" with Rob Lue

Monday, June 29, 2020: 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar
Co-sponsored by Harvard Summer School

In the face of COVID-19 and social distancing, it is vital to double down on the communal and self-driven aspects of education. Now more than ever, the Internet opens up possibilities to become authentic agents of our own learning. It can also help us combat the feelings of isolation that self-quarantine can induce. Professor Lue will explore ways to connect and support one another as a social network based on learning and teaching.... Read more about "Teaching Yourself and Others during the Pandemic" with Rob Lue

"Preventing Pandemics: From Policy to Practice" with Dr. Ashish Jha, Dr. Raj Panjabi, and Nancy Gibbs

Thursday, May 21, 2020: 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Via Zoom Webinar

Dr. Jha is a K.T. Li Professor of Global Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Panjabi is the CEO of Last Mile Health and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. They will be joined by Nancy Gibbs, director of the Shorenstein Center, the visiting Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice of Press, Politics and Public Policy, and former Editor in Chief of TIME, to discuss the COVID-19 response in Africa, lessons learned from previous epidemics like the West African Ebola outbreak, and the future of global health.... Read more about "Preventing Pandemics: From Policy to Practice" with Dr. Ashish Jha, Dr. Raj Panjabi, and Nancy Gibbs

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