Education & Society

On October 24, 2019 WashU alumna, activist and educator Brittany Packnett joined organizer and strategist Kayla Reed for a conversation about the power to lead, confidence and inclusivity.

Americans today are deeply divided. Religion has played a crucial role in promoting conflict and polarization, yet religious communities are an essential part of bridging current social and political divides. This panel of religious leaders and experts explored ways that religious communities might become spaces that bridge divides, rather than make them deeper — bridge building that is located in a larger sense of civic engagement and community.

In this discussion, Severine Autesserre, award-winning author, peace builder and researcher, spoke about her new book—which draws upon in-depth field research in twelve different conflict zones to challenge popular beliefs and scholarly ideas about war, peace, and conflict resolution.

This lecture addressed a career of producing humanities Ph.D. students who are actively committed to public scholarship that explores questions of race, gender, and economic divides in Los Angeles through mentorship, training, and scholarly engagement.

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.

Rhonda Magee, Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco, delivered the inaugural lecture of the CRE2 Mindfulness & Anti-Racism series.

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics presented a discussion of the newly unsealed Vatican archives and the role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust.

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.”

On February 26, 4:30 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich talked about "Celebrating Curiosity - Celebrating Arts & Sciences."

The 2020-2021 Paul and Silvia Rava lecture titled “Families of Worlds” featured Antony Shugaar.

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

The Quran is one of the most iconic objects in American debates about racial and religious tolerance. Is the Quran a “good book”? Is it like the Bible and other scriptures? Or is its message more violent, more misogynistic, more intolerant? Or is the danger in the power readers ascribe to the book?

On February 17, 2015 at 6 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Reza Aslan, delivered the Washington University Foreign Policy Engagement Lecture on faith, extremism and democracy.

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

On September 30, 2014, Ruth Simmons, the 18th president of Brown University and the first African-American president of an Ivy League university, talked about "The State of Conscience in University Life Today."

People of faith in the U.S. today are as politically polarized as other Americans, prompting painful breakdowns in personal relationships and communities. What would it take to accept responsibility for actively healing these political and religious divisions, activating solutions rather than continuing assaults?

Nicole Garnett, the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, delivered remarks on ‘The Value of Educational Pluralism.’

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.

To mark the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, the Washington University in St. Louis community came together on Monday, August 26, 2019 for ‘Reflections, Unity, Social Justice, and Peace.’

This Interfaith Week discussion titled “Faith in the Fight: Organizing Interfaith & Secular Coalitions for Racial Equity & Justice.”