Critical Conversations

Reflections on the 2020 Election & the Future of American Democracy 

Jan. 19 at 5:00 - 6:30 PM EST -  Register and Join 

The Department of Political Science invites you to a virtual panel discussion Gibbs Knotts, Karyn Amira, Christopher Day, Jordan Ragusa and Claire Wofford, moderated by Hollis France.

Register and join via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/yyfqo49l

Tribal Justice - MSPS Movie Screening

The 31st Annual MLK Celebration

Jan. 19 at 6:30 PM EST -  Join Live Online Event 

Join CofC, MUSC, Trident Technical College, The Citadel and Charleston Southern University as we celebrate 31-years of partnership during Black History Intercollegiate Consortium's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. The virtual event will feature gospel choir performance, tributes from each institution remembering Martin Luther King, Jr., and recognition of this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. honorees. With CofC’s Chief Diversity Officer Rénard Harris delivering the opening remarks, the College will host the virtual event from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at go.cofc.edu/MLK.

Virtual Sessions about CofC's response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Anti-racist Education Through Digital Local History - A Virtual Roundtable 

Nov. 19 at 3:30 PM EDT - Register 

A roundtable on antiracist and digital local history, featuring experts Mary Battle, Aaisha Haykal, Marina Lopez, and Leah Worthington.

The public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and the nationwide uprisings regarding racial and social justice have challenged public history professionals. Practitioners have had to expand their use of technology without training while urgently considering how to effectively create antiracism within their practice. For these reasons, we are offering a virtual roundtable that will bring together experts in local public history, archives, museums, and digital history. By sharing their experiences, we intend to provide a map of best practices for antiracist education in local public history using digital tools and platforms.

The long struggle for racial equality is deeply embedded in Charleston’s past and present as a major destination of heritage tourism, and this struggle is increasingly being acknowledged in the city’s sites of public history. Public historians can push this effort even further by learning antiracist education tools from other practitioners who have been engaged in this field. The range of accessible strategies for antiracist digital programming that we will discuss can be implemented in various public history programs in Charleston and the Lowcountry region.

Epidemics Past and Present: COVID-19 in Historical Context

Queering Black Atlantic Religions - Talk with Author Strongman 

Nov. 12 at 12:00 PM EDT  - Email for link

Hosted by The Carolina Lowcountry & Atlantic World Program. Join Author Roberto Strongman and Dr. Lenny Lowe, Assistant Professor in Religious Studies in a conversation about Queering Black Atlantic Religions: Transcorporeality in Candomblé, Santería, and Vodou. Examine how religious rituals of trance possession allow humans to understand themselves as embodiments of the divine. Join a conversation about the study of religious cultures of African and African Diaspora People. 

Email Sandy Slater for invitation to zoom: slaters@cofc.edu

Details at https://claw.cofc.edu/event/book-talk-with-roberto-strongman/. 

Conversation with Renée Stout and Thetyka Robinson

Education for Liberation: Beyond Diversity & Other Metaphors

Nov. 12 at 9:00 AM EDT  - bit.ly/eduforlibtea

What does it mean to “decolonize” the curriculum?         How can you practice “equity” in a syllabus?       Whom does “inclusivity” in the classroom serve?

Join us to explore these questions in the next T.E.A. with WGS (TEA = Teaching to Engage and Activate). Our conversation will be facilitated by members of the Transformative Teaching Collective. Meet us on Zoom (LINK HERE) – registration is required. 

T.E.A. with WGS is a series of faculty development workshops that WGS has hosted for faculty affiliates since 2018. This year our T.E.A. sessions are open to all faculty regardless of rank, school, status, or discipline.

Daring and Doing: Designing a Legacy of Presence, Empathy, Compassion and Power

Available to all students. Program led by Executive coach, Pearl Alexander, JD, CPCC, Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator™ whose coaching and leadership development practice combines her expert knowledge on the “Science of Inclusion,” “Social Intelligence,” and contemplative practices to foster social change, inclusion, and innovation. Two virtual 90-minute interactive sessions are separated by a personal lunch break that includes audience raffles. Read more about these interactive sessions on Cougar Connect. 

In alignment with the college’s core values, this Higdon Center Student Leadership program welcomes diverse attendees who are committed to supporting and advancing women’s leadership development without regard to gender, gender identity, or gender expression.

What Happened on November 3rd? And What it Means for U.S. Leadership Abroad

Nov. 10 at 7:00 PM EDT  - Join: bit.ly/31XwkKE

Join a conversation with Ambassador John B. Emerson, vice chairman of Capital Group International Inc. with 19 years of experience in the investment industry. Ambassador Emerson currently serves as chairman of the American Council on Germany and on the boards of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the German Marshall Fund. He is a long-serving member of the Council on Foreign Relations and also served as deputy assistant to the President in Bill Clinton’s administration (1993-1997). Active in California and national politics, he served as Gary Hart’s campaign manager in 1988. This is an LCWA World Affairs Colloquium Series - Microsoft Teams Live Event. Click here to join the event: https://bit.ly/31XwkKE

Antigone (Livestreamed Show + After-the-show Conversations Online)

"How can one penetrate the absolute certainty and righteousness of political or religious leaders who refuse to listen?" "What happens when neither side in a conflict agrees to yield?" Viewed as a contest between equally determined and fierce competitors, both right and both wrong, Antigone is an intense examination of these questions. 

TICKETS -  $25 (Groups of 3 or more), $15 (Adults), $12 (Seniors, Military 18 and under) and $8 (CofC Faculty, Staff and Students) This is a livestreamed performance on these two nights only. Presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance, Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy “Antigone” will be retold with a modern twist in an adaptation penned by multiple Tony-nominated and Peabody Award-winning playwright, Emily Mann. The Antigone production concept was inspired by images of destruction and civil unrest as seen around the country during the recent protests. 

Details about critical conversations after the show will be posted soon. Learn more. 

Let's Talk about the Impact of Racial Trauma and the Next Steps

Oct. 29 and Nov. 12 at 4:00 PM EDT  -  Join online 

Many of our students are impacted by experiencing and witnessing race based inhumane violence and injustices.  Be heard by the Counseling Center and your fellow students in a brave space that encourages understanding, validation, and next steps. Virtual open sessions available every other Thursdays starting September 17th at 4:00 pm.  Zoom Registration Required. Some sessions may include guest professionals in addition to the Counseling Center. The Counseling Center has experts in trauma and processing experiences.  As white professional counselors we are and will continue to commit to furthering our knowledge and actions we can take against racism and racial injustices. 

Post-Election Virtual Panel of Student Campaign Workers

Co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Political Science Club. 

Join the conversations with students about the election.  

2020 Presidential Election: Conjectures and Consequences (Part I)

Nov. 3 at 4:00 PM EDT  - https://bit.ly/33BThmT

The Bully Pulpit Series will host a virtual panel comprised of School of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty. Live remarks will be followed by Q&A. Event Zoom link: https://bit.ly/33BThmT

Moderator: Gibbs Knotts, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of political science

Panelists:

• Elijah Siegler, chair and professor of religious studies (full bio here)
• Karyn Amira, assistant professor of political science (full bio here)
• Jordan Ragusa, associate chair and associate professor of political science (full bio here)
• Kendra Stewart, director of Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities and professor of political science (full bio here)

Conversation on the Distinctive Divide: African American Religious Diversity 

Join the College of Charleston African American Studies Program, Department of Religious Studies, Office of Institutional Diversity and Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services for a Microsoft Teams conversation with Jason E. Shelton, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas-Arlington. Read more. 

RETHINKING POLICING: Why do we need to reimagine public safety?

October 26 at 6:00 PM EST - Join via Zoom with Meeting ID: 955 4325 1261 or directly at https://cofc.zoom.us/j/95543251261. 

Join panelists: Mari Crabtree (Associate Professor African American Studies CofC), Aparna Polavarapu (Executive Director South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative), Joshua Parks( Peoples Budget Coalition), Frank Knaack (Executive Director ACLUSC) for an interactive conversation about rethinking the police. 

Everyone is invited. This event is open to the entire campus community. 

Safe Zone 101 Training

A Safe Zone  is a place where one can feel free to talk about being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, allied, asexual or intersex without fear of criticism or hatred. Visit  https://safezone.cofc.edu/ for details. 

Women + Power: PEOPLE POWER

October 6 at 7:30 PM EST - Register and Join 

From Suffrage to Black Lives Matter to the fight for Indigenous sovereignty, women of color have been at the heart and forefront of social justice movements for generations. The final installment of Women + Power turns its gaze to the struggles of today, the leading roles that women of color continue to play, and the search for the solidarity that can put systemic oppression on the ropes. Join a panel featuring Enei Begaye, executive director of Native Movement; Kandace Montgomery, executive director of Black Visions Collective; and Toni-Michelle Williams, executive director of Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative. Moderated by activist, writer, and Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation Raquel Willis. 

"Dis/placements" Conversation | Hung Liu and Katie Hirsch 

December 3 at 7:00 PM EST -  Join live 

Join the Halsey Institute on Facebook Live for a conversation with Hung Liu and Katie Hirsch, one of the 10 artist-respondent pairs in the virtual project, Dis/placements: Revisitations of Home. This is an online project that features 10 artists whose works deal with issues of displacement from their ancestral homeland in various capacities.

A Conversation with Cecilia Gentili on Trans Womanhood, Community, & Resilience

October 20 at 4:00 PM EST - Register and Join 

Join WGS in celebrating International Pronouns Day for a special conversation featuring Cecilia Gentili, Founder of Transgender Equity Consulting. Hosted by Kaj Brian (WGS, GSEC) and Kris De Welde (WGS), with CofC’s PRISM leading a pronouns exercise from 5:30-6:00! (see flyer) 

Let's Talk about the Impact of Racial Trauma and the Next Steps

Oct. 29 and Nov. 12 at 4:00 PM EDT  -  Join with CougarConnect 

Many of our students are impacted by experiencing and witnessing race based inhumane violence and injustices.  Be heard by the Counseling Center and your fellow students in a brave space that encourages understanding, validation, and next steps. Virtual open sessions available every other Thursdays starting September 17th at 4:00 pm.  Zoom Registration Required. Some sessions may include guest professionals in addition to the Counseling Center. The Counseling Center has experts in trauma and processing experiences.  As white professional counselors we are and will continue to commit to furthering our knowledge and actions we can take against racism and racial injustices. 

Cross-Cultural Collaborations Bringing Indigenous Knowledge to Bear on the Climate Crisis

October 23 at 1:00 PM EST - Join at go.cofc.edu/ClimateFridays.

Join Dr. Annette Watson on Zoom. Dr. Watson will share her experience as a non-Indigenous person developing collaborations with Alaska Native tribes & Gullah/Geechee communities who aim to use their Indigenous Knowledge systems in addressing the climate crisis. Register at go.cofc.edu/ClimateFridays. Can’t make it? All Climate Fridays will be recorded & uploaded to the CofC Sustainable Development YouTube.

Gullah/Geechee Freedom Celebration

October 24 at 1:30 PM EST -  https://today.cofc.edu/2020/10/22/cofc-hosts-gullah-geechee-freedom-celebration/ 

There is power in connecting the past with the present. It lends perspective for the future and helps shape our understanding of the struggles and hopes of cultures different from our own.

That’s why on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, from noon to 1:30 p.m. the College of Charleston’s graduate program in Environmental and Sustainability Studies will host a livestreamed choreopoem performance titled “Gullah/Geechee Freedom Celebration” at the College’s recently restored Sottile Theater. The performance is in recognition of October’s designation as Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Month.

The event is free, but donations can be made through the Event Brite listing. The livestream can be viewed at iframe.dacast.com/b/15725/c/439329. A recording of the performance can also be viewed at www.facebook.com/cofcenvstudies.

Race and the Legacies of Slavery at the College of Charleston

October 20 at 3:00 PM EST - WATCH A RECORDING

Join Dr. Benard Powers, Int. CEO International African American Museum, Director for the Center for Study of Slavery in Charleston (CSSC) , CofC Professor Emeritus, and national expert on black history, and Dr. Julia Eichelberger,  Marybelle Higgins Howe Professor of Southern Literature, affiliate faculty member in African American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies, the director of the Southern Studies minor, and a member of the Executive Board for CSSC. The conversations begins at 3:00 PM. You many pre-register or join immediately at the time of the event at the link provided. 

Everyone is invited. This event is open to the entire campus community. 

Critical Conversation on Racial Justice

Alaina Beverly, former White House official, commentator on MSNBC, expert in  urban policy, civil rights, and community mobilization .   Join Alaina Sept. 23 at 6:00 PM.

No pre-registration required. Everyone is welcome. Link to join:  https://bit.ly/3il9J0M . 

Constitution Day Event hosted by the Race and Social Justice Initiative, Avery Research Center, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pre-Law Advising Program at CofC, The Citadel Inn of Court.

Everyone is invited. This event is open to the entire campus community. 

Safe Zone 101

October 14 at 6:00 PM EST -  Register to join via https://forms.gle/dkdyqgmDQqG48wkJA 

A  Safe Zone  is a place where one can feel free to talk about being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, allied, asexual or intersex without fear of criticism or hatred. Visit  https://safezone.cofc.edu/ for details. 

Divided We Fall: Civility in Political Debate

October 22, 2020 at 11:00 AM EST - Join online at  https://bit.ly/35JmqyW

The Bully Pulpit Series will co-host the virtual “Divided We Fall: Civility in Political Debate” panel with the Department of Communication and their Advisory Council on October 22nd at 11:00 AM. Live remarks will be followed by Q&A with the audience. This event is part of the Cougar Campaign 2020 series at the College of Charleston. Visit  https://bullypulpitseries.org/ for details.  

Everyone is invited. This event is open to the entire campus community. 

Intersectionality and Climate Justice

September 23, 2020

An interactive guest talk by Wadzanai Motsi-Khatai from the Center for Intersectional Justice in Berlin on the topic of “Intersectionality and Climate Justice.” The talk will be followed by a Q&A session. The following resources are recommended:  CIJ Intersectional FAQ and Crenshaw Ted talk on Intersectionality.

Abolitionist & Ecofuturist Perspectives to End Environmental Racism

September 25, 2020

Register Hosted by the Center for Sustainable Development, featuring the Tranformative Teaching Collective, Drs. Kristi "kaj" Brian and Hollis France 

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September 24, 4:00 PM EST - Join via MS TEAMS LINK 

Join WGS for a screening of RBG (2018) in celebration of the life of feminist icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With opening remarks from Dr. Claire Wofford (Political Science). Moderated by Dr. Claire Curtis (Political Science).

Interrupting Racism in the Classroom

September 29 at 3:00 PM EST 

Join WGS for our first fall 2020 T.E.A. with WGS (T.E.A. = Teaching to Engage and Activate). Please join us for an interactive conversation with Dr. Charissa Owens, from our Office of Institutional Diversity, on Tuesday, September 29th, 3pm (tea time!). We will learn more about “Interrupting Racism in the Classroom,” including strategies for self-reflection, engaging students, and addressing racism and practicing anti-racism in our classrooms (or zoomrooms). We are asking that you RSVP for this T.E.A., after which you will receive a zoom link to join the session. Furthermore, our T.E.A. sessions this year will be open to all faculty across all schools, not only WGS affiliated faculty as is usually the case. Please share this information with your colleagues and encourage them to attend.