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Past Events

Meet The Majors- Hispanic Studies
Thursday, 4 - 5:30pm in Shiffman 120
Hola chiquillosssss! Les invitamos a la fiesta de Hispanic Studies! Stop by from 4 - 5:30 to learn more about being a major/minor, hang out with the other amazing students in the department, talk to the UDRs about classes for next semester, practice your Spanish (not necessary to attend though!), listen to some great latin music, and enjoy delicious free food! Hope to see you there.

Être et avoir
"To Be and To Have” Thursday, October 29, 7 p.m.
Lown 2
Winner of the Sacramento Film Festival 2002 by Nicolas Filibert.
Part of the 2009 French Film Series!
A documentary about teaching 4 to 11 year olds in a rural school in France.

entre les murs
"The Class"
Thursday, October 22, 7 p.m.
Lown 2

Winner of the Palme d'Or in Cannes 2008 by Laurent Cantet.
Part of the 2009 French Film Series!
A semi-autobiographical account of the experience of teaching in an inner city middle-school in Paris, highlighting differences of class, ethnicity and culture.

Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso"
David Slavitt, poet and translator
Tuesday, October 20
4 pm
Golding 109

Archeology, National Identity and the Coup in Honduras: the Role of the Ancient Maya
by Dr. Dario Euraque
Thursday October 8, 12-1
Golding 101

Dr. Dario Euraque was the Director of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), a government agency tasked with overseeing all of Honduras’s cultural patrimony, including the national archives, archeological sites, and public museums.

He was illegally dismissed by the coup government in Honduras
On June 28th, the duly elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, was ousted in a coup denounced around the world. The new regime has not been recognized by virtually any country in the international community. This talk addresses the eerie question: what role did the Ancient Maya play in the aftermath of the coup in Honduras?

Sponsored by Latin American and Latino Studies, Cultural Production, International and Global Studies, Romance Studies, Peace and Coexistence, and Anthropology

6th Annual Eleanor Roosevelt Lecture
featuring Maria Hinojosa
MEXICANA FEMINIST JOURNALIST ACTIVISTA:
The political responsibility of owning one's voice
Thursday
September 17, 2009
4:30 p.m.
Rapaporte Treasure Hall 

Luncheon for Students of French
Thursday, April 30
12-1:30
ICC Lounge

Join us for a luncheon celebrating the semester! Enjoy delicious food while spending quality time with professors and other students of French.

French Hour in Usdan
Thursday, April 23, 2009    
6:00pm - 7:00pm    
Upper Usdan
Contact: rellis@brandeis.edu    

Come join us for dinner Thursday night!
We will be speaking all in French. All levels welcome. Come to talk about summer plans, classes, long walks on the beach, or just to see who else speaks French. ^_^
We will have a sign on the table, or just follow the français!

In Steel
Faculty Forum
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Shiffman 120

In which painter Ellen Rounseville borrows a mercenary's armor, the Wife of Bath's tale, Shakespeares Globe, Louis XIV's sun bonnet, Pierrot's moon, and other trappings from famous and not-so-famous players, and in which she asks, "What are these characters doing in my paintings and what do they have to do with me or even, perhaps, you?"

[In honor of the Leonard Bernstein Festival and Bernstein's first Candide, Robert Rounseville]

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Hermann Hudde, Classical Guitarist
Classical Spanish and Latin American Guitar
Hermann will play at 11:10-12:00 AM and at 1:10-2:00 PM
Location: Pearlman 113 (Lounge)

He will also give a lecture on Spanish and Latin American Guitarists
and play some of the his favorite music pieces
Location: Shiffman 219, 4-5pm

For further information about the artist Hermann Hudde, visit his Web Page:
www.hermannhudde.net

Everyone is welcome to this special event

Experiential Learning, Engaged Learners: An UG Symposium
Thursday, March 26, 2009    
Usdan Student Center International Lounge
2:00pm - 6:00pm    
Contact: Adi Grabiner-Keinan, Academic Administrator for Experiential Learning, grabiner@brandeis.edu    

(EL)2 - Experiential Learning, Engaged Learners:
    A Brandeis Symposium Spotlighting Students’ Exploration, Discovery and Innovation

    Brandeis is pleased to host an Experiential Learning symposium to bring undergraduate students together from all majors and disciplines to share their work with the Brandeis community.

    Please join us on Thursday, March 26, 2009, from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. We will begin the event with a special greeting from President Reinharz in the International Lounge (Usdan Student Center), followed by a student-faculty panel session led by Dean Adam Jaffe.

    A poster session and four panel sessions will highlight undergraduate student work in the areas of:

    • Social Justice, Activism, and Community
    • Global and Cross-Cultural Exploration
    • Investigation and Discovery
    • Innovation, Enterprise, and Social Entrepreneurship

una spaghettata!

Wednesday, April 1
5:30-8pm
ICC Lounge

An Italian style party to celebrate the end of this academic year with Italian games, activities, fun and FOOD!
All students of Italian, and those interested in studying Italian are welcome!

A Festival of award winning French and Francophone films
Presented by French and Francophone Studies
Shiffman 219  7 - 9 p.m.

Persepole  (Persepolis) 2007. An animated feature by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
   Thursday Feb. 26   7-9 p.m.  Shiffman 219

Moolaade  (Magical Protection) 2004. A drama by the Senegalese filmaker, Ousmane Sembene, set in
Birkina Faso about the practice of female circumcision.
   Thursday March 5  7-9 p.m.  Shiffman 219

Le Scaphandre et le papillon  (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) 2007 by Julian Schnabel.  Based on the memoire of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor of Elle, the film records his life after suffering the rare condition of locked-in syndrome.
   Thursday March 12  7-9 p.m. Shiffman 219.

Au-dela de la haine (Beyond Hatred) 2007.  A documentary about a family whose gay son is murdered by skinheads and who tries to find the path to forgiveness.
   Thursday March 19  7-9 p.m.  Shiffman 219.

Women's and Gender Studies Spring Distinguished Faculty Lecture
Speaker: Professor Dian Fox
Wednesday, March 18, 2009    
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Rapaporte Treasure Hall
Contact: wgstudies@brandeis.edu    
Hercules and the Half-Blood Prince: Staging Masculinity and Nationalism in Early Modern Spain

    Lecture given by Dian Fox,Professor of Hispanic Studies and Women's and Gender Studies

Meet the Majors: Hispanic Studies
Thursday, March 12, 4:00PM
Shiffman 201

Learn about studying abroad in Spanish speaking countries, job opportunities for Spanish speakers, and enjoy some free ice cream!

Title : Difference and Tolerance in Italian current events through Elia Benamozegh, a free thinker.
Location : Shiffman Humanities Ctr 120
February 23rd, 25th and 26th
Time 12.10-1 pm

     Professor Gianluca Giannini is a Professor of Philosophy at the the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. He teaches a course on bioethics at the Università di Napoli II and his current research interest is political philosophy with a particular focus on pre and post 9/11/01 and the concept of war and how it has changed and impacted our society.
    During his visit in the United States, he will conduct three classes for students of Italian 105 (Conversation and Composition Italian) at Brandeis University about Elia Benamozegh and concepts of difference and tolerance. Classes will be conducted in Italian.
    On Monday, February 23rd he will first introduce the role of Judaism in 19th century Italy and why Livorno (a small Tuscan city) is an ideal starting point for this discussion. On Wednesday, February 25th he will then look at the figure of Elia Benamozegh and focus on the concepts of difference an tolerance .
    For Thursday, February 26th, he will then discuss current events in Italy taking into particular consideration the philosopohical concepts of difference and tolerance that he outlined in previous classes.

Conducted in Italian, open to the public. Funding provided by the Martin Weiner lecture fund.

On Global Memory
Inaugural Lecture of the new Comparative Literature Program
Rapaporte Treasure Hall
February 5, 2009 at 4:00 pm.
by Homi K. Bhabha
Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of Humanities
Director of the Humanities Center
Harvard University

IS AN HONORS THESIS IN YOUR FUTURE?
Come learn more about it from faculty!

Have you been thinking about writing a thesis but are unsure of what that entails? You are not alone! Writing a thesis requires advanced planning and communication with your Department regarding qualifications and expectations. It is a big decision that requires speaking with professors about possible topics and doing some preliminary research. Please come to this informational session to hear more from faculty.  Seniors who are currently working on a thesis will also be on hand to answer your questions. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Penyack(meganp@brandeis.edu). I hope to see you there!

For Social Science and Humanities Majors: Thursday, February 5th in
Usdan Alumni Lounge from 5 - 6:30 pm

Film Night: Bob le Flambeur

Thursday, December 4, 7:00pm
Lown Auditorium

Watch one of the forerunners of French New Wave film, Jean-Pierre Melville's "Bob le Flambeur."

Thursday, November 13, 7:30pm
Lown Auditorium
With a special introduction to the film from Professor Ed Kaplan

Jean-Claude Audry’s comedic film “Les Folles Aventures de Rabbi Jacob” is the pinnacle of French bad taste.

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assassins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.

The Undergraduate Departmental Representatives (UDRs) and Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences invite you to 
 
Let’s Do Lunch
 
Come have lunch with faculty from different departments! Share conversations about their research, teaching philosophies, education, home life, hobbies, and more. This is a great opportunity for students to meet with their professors in a casual environment. Students are welcome to bring their lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided. Come to one or all (but check locations and times for each professor).

Wednesday, November 12, 12:00-2:00pm, Usdan International Lounge
School of Humanities
Guy Antebi (Hebrew, 12:00-1:00), John Burt (English, 1:00-2:00), Berislav Marusic (Philosophy, 12:00-2:00),
Olmanda Hernandez (Hispanic Studies, 12:00-1:00), and Esther Ratner (French, 12:00-1:00)

More faculty may participate in these events; for the most up-to-date list, please visit the UDR website, http://www.brandeis.edu/das/programs/udr/events.html.

Talk To Her

Monday November 10th

7:30 in Golding Auditorium   

 Synopsis of the film:
From Pedro Almodóvar, the director of the Academy-Award® winning All
About My Mother (Best Foreign Language Film, 2000), comes his most
acclaimed film yet. TALK TO HER is the surprising, altogether original
and quietly moving story of the spoken and unspoken bonds that unite the
lives and loves of two couples. Two men (Benigno and Marco) almost meet
while watching a dance performance, but their lives are irrevocably
entwined by fate. They meet later at a private clinic where Benigno is
the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student who lies in a coma.
Marco is there to visit his girlfriend, Lydia, a famous matador, also
rendered motionless. As the men wage vigil over the women they love, the
story unfolds in flashback and flashforward as the lives of the four are
further entwined and their relationships move toward a surprising
conclusion.

Wednesday, October 22, 6:00pm

ICC Lounge

Free crêpes for all! Come eat and have fun with your fellow students.

Documentary Screening: Black, Blanc, Beur

Wednesday, October 15, 4:00pm

Shiffman 219

Filmmaker and Lecturer in French in the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department at MIT, Johann Sadock will be present to lead a discussion on the topics raised by his film.

"Black Blanc Beur: Parlons-en!" (2000) is a documentary in French based on interviews with youths of diverse ethnicities, journalists, and educators in the French 'Banlieues'. Subjects discussed include history and memory, inter-race relationships, anti-Semitism, discriminations, representation in media, violence, French identity and culture.

Citizenship Week 2008: Organization Information Tables
Sponsored by: Gen Ed Now, Hiatt Career Center, Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the Waltham Group
Date: Monday, September 22, 2008     Building: Shapiro Campus Center
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm     Room: Atrium
Contact: hiattcenter@brandeis.edu     

    Visit with and learn about volunteer and internship opportunities with the following organizations: Aids Action Committee, American Cancer Society, Horizon for Homeless Children, United Planet, The Samaritans, Year Up (VISTA), National Society For American Indian Elderly, Teach For America, Peace Corps and Boston Cares.

Speaker: Sheilah Coleman
Date: Monday, September 22, 2008    Building: Usdan Student Center
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm    Room: Academic Services Conference Room
Contact: sheilah@brandeis.edu

Information session with Sheilah Coleman, Director of Scholarships and Fellowships, on the Goldwater Fellowship.

Master of Arts in Teaching Open House
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2008     Building: Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm     Room: Atrium
Contact: Ralph Martinez, 781-736-2022, mat@brandeis.edu    
    The Brandeis M.A.T. Program prepares you to teach in public elementary or Jewish day school, or in a secondary school science, history, English, or Bible classroom. Four semesters -- two summers and an academic year classroom internship -- lead to an M.A.T. degree and a teaching license. Generous scholarship support is available for Brandeis graduates. Attend an information session, meet faculty, ask questions. Information at www.brandeis.edu/programs/MAT

The Classical Studies Film Series Fall 2008: HBO's Rome, Season 1, Episodes 1/2

    Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
    The Classical Studies Film Series
    HBO's Rome, Season 1 (2005): Episodes 1/2
    Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Indira Varma, Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy, Kenneth Cranham, Kerry Condon, Polly Walker, Max Pirkis, Lindsay Duncan, Tobias Menzies
    Location: Shiffman 219

    The Department of Classical Studies presents
    A Martin Weiner Lecture

    Challenges and Dreams: PRESENTING GREEK AND ROMAN ART IN THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

    DR. CHRISTINE KONDOLEON, GEORGE D. & MARGO BEHRAKIS CURATOR OF GREEK AND ROMAN ART
    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

    Thursday, 25th September 2008
    5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Reception to follow)
    Pollack (Fine Arts) Auditorium

    Dr. Kondoleon will introduce us to one of the most important collections of Greek and Roman Art in the U.S. and share her vision for the future as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts plans for its new wing of Ancient Art.

    This lecture is free and open to the public.
    For further information: 781-736-2183 or aoko@brandeis.edu

The Waltham Group's LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT (LaCE)

What: An afterschool program for Waltham middle school ESL students who need help and support in learning English.  You are paired one-on-one with a student and will participate in a group activites like Scavenger hunts and trips to the Rose Art museum, as well as planning individual activities.

Where: Levine-Ross (next to Sherman function hall)

When: Thursday, September 18, 3-5

Why: Because its fun, you love juice boxes, and you seriously want to help a cool middle school kid ease the transition into American society, culture, and schools.

How:  Fill out the attached application, drop it off at the Waltham Group office (3rd floor Shapiro) and sign up for an interview!

Please email Katie Gray-Schofield at Kas@brandeis.edu if you have any questions!

The Scoop on Study Abroad

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008      Building: Shiffman
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm     Room: 123
Contact: afineman@brandeis.edu  

Interested in studying in France or a Francophone country? Talk to returning study abroaders to find out what study abroad is really like. Get your questions and concerns answered by your fellow students. Or, if you have already studied abroad, come offer your stories and advice. Expect snacks.

    Brought to you by your French UDRs

Franz Kafka and the Kabbalah

A lecture by Sarah Morris, Bar Ilan University
Brandeis Ph.D. ’95, JPLS
Wednesday, September 10, 4:30 P.M.
Shiffman 217
Franz Kafka took great interest in the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism.
Many of his stories, among them his favorite one, "Before the Law",
can be interpreted in a kabbalistic vein; his late Aphorisms reflect how close he had approached Kabbalistic thought. How and why did this happen? And what can this mean for us?

Sponsored by the JPLS program with support from the Martin Weiner Fund

 Los Peregrinos de las Indias Occidentales: Early Modern Crypto-Judaism in its Translatic Context
A presentation by Ronnie Perelis (Hispanic Studies). Tuesday, April 15 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Olin-Sang 207. This event is sponsored by the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact mbrooks@brandeis.edu.

Faculty Forum: The Drama of Biography
A reading and discussion of Ed Kaplan's biography, "Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972" (Yale University Press, 2007), winner of a National Book Award. Thursday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. in Shiffman 122. Refreshments will be served.

Being Jewish in France (Comme un Juif en France)
Yves Jeuland's sweeping new documentary explores the rich and complex history of Jews in France—the first country to grant Jews citizenship—beginning with revolutionary cries of Vive le France in Yiddish through the explosive Dreyfus Affair, Vichy's murderous betrayal during WWII and the absorption of Jews from Arab countries in the 1960s to charges of rising anti-semitism in the 21st century. Lushly illustrated with rare archival images and memorable music. Winner of the Jewish Experience Award, Jerusalem Film Festival. Special guest Antony Polonsky, Brandeis University. Introduction by Alexis Berthier, Public Affairs Attache, French Consulate Boston. Sunday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m. Wasserman Cinematheque.

Sol y Canto — Noche de Muertos: Welcoming Our Ancestors Home
Join Sol y Canto and Melodic Visions in a journey through one of Mexico's favorite holidays! Their newest program brings the Day of the Dead to life. Giant projected images of traditional dancing skulls, marigold bouquets, bustling market places and the faces of families in celebration take you to the heart of Michoacán, one of Mexico's most historic and picturesque states. But that's not all! Add Sol y Canto's live interpretations of beloved Mexican classics as well as evocative new compositions in a haunting and lively combination of Mexican and pan-Latin rhythms. Friday, November 2, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

Love and Life in the Properties of Julia Felix in Pompeii
The Classical Studies Colloquium Series presents a Jennifer Eastman Lecture by Professor Christopher Parslow, Wesleyan University: Professor Parslow’s presentation draws on painted public notices, graffiti and works of art to identify the names and faces of the individuals and groups who lived, worked and patronized the Praedia of Julia Felix in the final years before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. This lecture is free and open to the public. Reception to follow. Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 5 p.m. in Lown 2 (Auditorium). For further information: 781-736-2183 or aoko@brandeis.edu.

Style, Affiliation and Regional Political Dynamics: Small Classic Maya Sites in the Usumacinta River Region
Jane's Grant recipient and anthropology doctoral student Betsy Marzahn-Ramos will present her summer research project entitled "Style, Affiliation and Regional Political Dynamics: Small Classic Maya Sites in the Usumacinta River Region." Friday November 16, 2007 at 4:40 p.m. Brown 225.

From the Archives to Pulp Fiction: A Scholar Learns About Writing
Brandeis University Women's and Gender Studies Program Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series presents Professor Erica Hart Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library.

"What does it take to be a native speaker, especially when you didn’t fully learn your first language?"
The speaker will be Professor Maria Polinsky of Harvard University. She is one of the world's most prominent specialists on heritage speakers; that is, on speakers who have not fully acquired their first language. The talk will be interesting and accessible to anyone with an interest in second-language learning, first language acquisition, bilingualism, language loss, psychology of language or the nature of language-knowledge. Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. Volen 105.

Hispanic Studies Meet the Majors
Interested in Hispanic Studies? Thinking about becoming a major or minor? Come to the Hispanic Studies Meet the Majors! Come to meet majors, minors and faculty and to learn more about the department! This Thursday, November 29, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Shiffman 219. Enjoy music, great people, free food from El Orientale de Cuba and more. For more information contact: rnimmons@brandeis.edu or zahava@brandeis.edu.

Latin American Film Festival
"Cidade de Deus" ("City of God"), directed by Fernando Meirelles. Presented by Professor Fernando J. Rosenberg (sponsored by the Global Latin American Film class SPAN193 - LALS 100). Come relax and enjoy some of the finest Latin American films (with English subtitles) and FREE POPCORN! Open to the Brandeis community. Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Wasserman Cinematheque.

Funding Your Summer Project: Information Tables
Have an idea for a summer internship or research project? Learn about various stipends and fellowships that you can apply to and help fund your experience! HURRY, deadlines approaching quickly! Information tables for non-major specific, summer funding programs. Programs are competitive and require applications. January 16 and 17, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Usdan Lobby. For more information: internships@brandeis.edu or www.brandeis.edu/internship.

Crises of Memory and the Second World War
Presented by Susan Suleiman, Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France, Harvard University. Wednesday, March 12 at 4:00 p.m. Shiffman 219.

Discussion: "Choosing Our Past": Jean-Paul Sartre as Memoirist of Occupied France
with Professor Beri Marusic, Philosophy. Thursday, February 14, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Golding 103.

Screening of film "Hotel Terminus: The Life & Times of Klaus Barbie"
Thursday, February 28, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Shiffman 217.

Discussion of Hotel Terminus
With Professor Paul Jankowski, History. Thursday, March 6, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Shiffman 219.