Fall 2021

In this discussion, titled “Understanding Afghanistan: Insights from the New York Times,” the New York Times’ Istanbul bureau chief, Carlotta Gall, shared insights about Afghanistan.

In a session titled “Inclusive Growth in St. Louis: Embracing Inclusive Leadership,” a panel of experts from different sectors discussed strategies to create inclusive and meaningful leadership.

Distinguished political theorist, Danielle Allen, gave a presentation that challenged common assumptions about both the founding of the United States and the implications of the Declaration of Independence.

Legendary writer Joy Williams had a special reading and conversation about her first novel in 20 years, “Harrow.” The event also celebrated her literary papers and the “Joy Williams: Honored Guest” exhibition in Olin Library and online.

Georgetown Law Professor Kristin Henning joined Daniel Harawa (WashU Law) to discuss her new book, Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.

NASA’s Moogega Cooper delivered the keynote address at the 2021 She Leads Symposium, hosted by the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Fellowship for Women in Graduate Study at Washington University in St. Louis.

A panel of leading academics discussed “Gatekeeping & the Publishing Landscape for Scholarship on Race, Medicine & Science.”

Professor Natalia Aleksiun delivered the 2021 Holocaust Memorial Lecture on“Jewish Physicians and Their Patients: Rescue Strategies in Nazi Occupied Poland.”

Kendall, curator of Asian Ethnographic Collections at the American Museum of Natural History, delivered the Morrell Memorial Lecture in Asian Religions on“Gods and Things in Four Asian Places.”

Noted media studies scholar and game designer, Ian Bogost, presented three talks exploring the theory and concepts of play and games under the auspices of the 2021 Humanities Series.

This discussion focused on the topics of voting rights and the threats facing American democracy and featured former U.S. congressmen Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from St. Louis, and Tom Coleman, a Republican from Kansas City.

On November 30, 2021 St.Louis-born performing artist and civil rights activist Josephine Baker became the first woman of color to be inducted into France’s Pantheon.

Professor Kevin McKeegan delivered the Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture titled “Sampling the Solar System: A Key in Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Origin and Evolution.”