The Difference a Date Makes: “9/11” versus “1973” in the Global History of NYC

Vita Nova 100, Scripps College

DARA ORENSTEIN, George Washington University September 11, 2023, 5:00-6:00pm Vita Nova, Scripps College RSVP HERE It seems safe to say that the Twin Towers stand for globalism. Ever since they fell on the morning of September 11, 2001, they have endured as something much larger than local landmarks. Whether abstracted on magazine covers, sanctified in street […]

The U.S. and the Struggle for International Justice in Ukraine

Hampton Room, Scripps College

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in an unprecedented alignment of international actors supporting accountability processes. And the atrocities committed in Ukraine have been extensively documented. But achieving accountability through international mechanisms like the International Criminal Court is more challenging than it seems. Drawing on his recent experience as a policy advisor in the Pentagon, […]

Representing Gender in Court: Juridical Women in the Time of Boccaccio’s Madonna Filippa (Decameron 6.7)

Vita Nova 100, Scripps College

Boccaccio's character Madonna Filippa brilliantly defends herself in court against an adultery charge—and dodges a cruel capital punishment. Readers have long assumed that since medieval Italian women had no place in court, Filippa's story must be an ironic parody. This presentation inserts Boccaccio's heroine into her historical context of medieval northern Italy, where several women […]

Let There Be House: Queer of Color Perspectives on Germany’s Techno Scene in the 1990s

Humanities Museum (HUM 225)

Dr. Tom Smith is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in German at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. His research focused on queer approaches to contemporary Germany. He was selected as an AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker in 2019 and regularly presents his work on BBC Radio. Event will include refreshments, book raffle, music and dancing.

Polish Communist Spies, the CIA, and the Road to NATO Expansion with John Pomfret

Hampton Room, Scripps College

As the United States cobbles together a coalition to undo Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, six US officers are trapped in Iraq with intelligence that could ruin Operation Desert Storm if it is obtained by the brutal Iraqi dictator. Desperate, the CIA asks Poland, a longtime Cold War foe famed for its excellent spies, for […]

Leading From Behind – How Angela Merkel Shaped German Gender Politics

Humanities Museum (HUM 225)

We know a lot about Angela Merkel as a leader in international politics; we know much less about how the first woman chancellor saw herself and acted as a woman leader. This talk, based on a volume co-edited by Prof. Lang with Prof. Petra Ahrens (Tampere University, Finland) and Prof. Phillip Ayoub (University College London) […]