November 20, 2017

Critical Conversations

Symposia examine contemporary and historical issues.

 

At Lewis & Clark, the exchange of ideas continues long after classes are over. Our campus provides a space for students to engage in critical conversations and put theory into practice by working with faculty and staff to plan, schedule, and promote a series of academic symposia. These student-run events highlight the liberal arts, help spark new ideas, and encourage dialogue on campus.

This October, we organized the Responsibilities and Rights: Community and Free Speech Symposium, a day of discussion and dialogue with students, staff, and faculty from the undergraduate school, Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and Lewis & Clark Law School. The new event focused on what “free speech” means on a private, liberal arts campus, and discussed the impact of speech in relation to power, privilege, and equity.

Like the Free Speech Symposium, the following campus events continue a tradition of programming that both informs and shapes the future.

October 24–26, 2017

20th Annual Environmental Affairs Symposium
Environmental Engagement in Tough Times

In today’s United States, environmental issues have prompted individuals, organizations, and leaders on all sides to mobilize and fight. This year’s symposium launched a yearlong series of events and projects exploring possibilities for engagement across these divides.

November 8–10, 2017

14th Annual Ray Warren Symposium on Race and Ethnic Studies
Legacy: Race and Remembrance
 

This year’s symposium explored questions of how we remember, create, and share our individual and collective histories. The event included keynote presentations from New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb, artist Wendy Red Star, and Hawaiʻian tattoo expert Suluʻape Keone Nunes.  

February 19–21, 2018

4th Annual Middle East Studies Symposium
History and Movement: Transition in the Middle East

This symposium supplements academic opportunities on Lewis & Clark’s campus and supports our newly established Middle East and North African studies minor. The event is designed to showcase research and highlight local resources for those pursuing study in this field.

March 7–9, 2018

37th Annual Gender Studies Symposium
inSecurity

This spring’s symposium will examine the tension between the ideals of security—such as safety and stability—and the realities of our lived experience, such as militarized borders, targeted communities, and vulnerable populations. The event will also explore how concepts of security and enforcement are intertwined with ideologies of gender and sexuality, shaping dynamics on a personal, communal, and global level.

April 9–11, 2018

56th Annual International Affairs Symposium

Highly acclaimed by the Wall Street JournalNew York Times, and Chronicle of Higher Education, the International Affairs Symposium is one of the most prestigious events in Oregon’s academic and civic calendars. It is also the oldest student-run symposium in the United States. 

Academics Admissions Events Calendar