We are looking forward to welcoming students, faculty, and staff back to campus next week! February is off to a busy start with a variety of thought-provoking virtual webinars and discussions, the opening of our spring exhibits at the AU Museum, and the return to the stage for AU theatre.  

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: The Right to Know and Love the Night Sky

February 2, 2:30-3:45 p.m. ET

During this math colloquium, theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will discuss how treating the marginalization of certain groups in science as a workforce problem ignores the deeper issue: that wondering about the universe is a fundamental right. She will discuss what it means to create the conditions in which we all have a chance to know and love the night sky and all of the particles that populate it.

Interested? Email harshman@american.edu for the event link.

Jaclyn Granick, International Jewish Humanitarianism in the Age of the Great War

February 2, 2022, 1:00 p.m. ET

In 1914, seven million Jews across Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were caught in the crossfire of warring empires in a disaster of stupendous, unprecedented proportions. In response, American Jews developed a new model of humanitarian relief for their suffering brethren abroad, wandering into American foreign policy as they navigated a wartime political landscape. The effort continued into peacetime, touching every interwar Jewish community in these troubled regions through long-term refugee, child welfare, public health, and poverty alleviation projects. Against the backdrop of war, revolution, and reconstruction, this is the story of American Jews who went abroad in solidarity to rescue and rebuild Jewish lives in Jewish homelands. As they constructed a new form of humanitarianism and re-drew the map of modern philanthropy, they rebuilt the Jewish Diaspora itself in the image of the modern social welfare state.
Register

This event is part of the webinar series, "Europe's Jews before the Holocaust."

Movement Speaks: Conversations about Dance

February 2, 2022, 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET

Featuring artists Baye & Asa in a co-presentation from the AU Dance Program and the BlackLight Summit. Hosted by AU Dance Program Professorial Lecturer Ronya-Lee Anderson.
Register

Join artists Baye and Asa for an embodied lecture as they reveal the passions and purposes that anchor their creative processes and pursuits. Through movement, speech, dialogue and discussion, they invite us in to explore their corner of the sky.

Mathias Student Research Conference 

Submissions Due: Monday, February 7, 2022
Conference: Saturday, March 19, 2022

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is pleased to announce that the 32nd anniversary of the Annual Robyn Rafferty Mathias Student Research Conference, a forum for CAS students to present original scholarly and creative works before colleagues, faculty, and friends, will take place at the Katzen Arts Center on March 19, 2022.

CAS students are invited to submit an abstract of their research, capstone project, performance, etc. Learn more about the conference and how to submit your work. 

On View: Spring Exhibits at AU Museum

January 29-May 22, 2022

Tal Shochat, Crazy Tree, 2005. Chromogenic color print, 43 11/16 × 43 11/16 in. The Donald Rothfeld Collection of Contemporary Israeli Art, 2013.11.9

Opening Saturday, January 29, the spring exhibitions at the AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center feature Israeli art from our permanent collection, mid-Atlantic abstraction, photographic experimentation, a collaboration with the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and so much more.  

For the latest health and safety protocols, please visit the AU Museum's reopening page before planning your visit.

On Stage: The Sins of Sor Juana

February 10-12, 2022

Directed by Aaron Posner, performers in the American University Theatre Department present the acclaimed The Sins of Sor Juana, written by playwright Karen Zacarias, at the Greenberg Theatre, February 10-12, 2022.
Get your tickets
 
Legendary Mexican poet Juana Inés de la Cruz writes expressive, sensual verse at the Viceroy’s court in the 1600s, a time when it was unfashionable—and sinful—for women to exercise their intellect. The Viceroy is jealous of Juana’s influence on his beautiful wife, the Vicereine, who has arranged a profitable marriage to ensure that Juana will always have a place at court. Believing his own marriage is threatened by Juana’s engagement, the Viceroy hires a charming, educated rogue to seduce Juana and destroy her reputation. When Juana refuses to compromise her poetry for what the church ordains appropriate, she stands to lose everything she loves.