Yale University
Office of International Students & Scholars
Office of International
Students & Scholars
International Center
421 Temple Street
New Haven, CT 06511
USA
Phone: 203.432.2305
Fax: 203.432.7166
email: oiss@yale.edu
Understanding America Series
Explorations of U.S. culture with Yale faculty and invited guests. Free and open to the Yale community. All events will be held at the International Center, 421 Temple Street.
Politics & the Individual
November 5, 7 p.m. —
Film Screening "Milk"
November 11, 5:30 p.m. —
Dinner Discussion
From political slogans on bumper stickers to identities such as liberal and conservative, one might say that Americans wear their politics on their sleeves. Labels like blue states and red states have been expanded from their political context to represent individual personalities/opinions. How does the pervasive value of individualism in America shape politics?
Multiculturalism in the Age of Obama
February 18, 7 p.m. — Film Screening "Crash"
February 24, 5:30 p.m. — Dinner Discussion
America is often called a cultural “melting pot” and is becoming increasingly more diverse. In 2007, one in three residents belonged to a minority and that number is rising yearly. With President Obama’s election in 2008, some have suggested that the U.S. is getting closer to achieving a post-racial society, yet racial tensions and disparities still exist and matters of race, ethnicity, religion and cultural differences in the U.S. remain complex.
Obesity, Health & Food
April 1, 7 p.m. — Film Screening "Super Size Me"
April 7, 5:30 p.m. — Dinner Discussion
According to the CDC, 66% OF adults in the U.S. 20 years and over are overweight or obese. High obesity rates not only affect the health and lifespan of the individual, but also have implications for the society at large. What is it about U.S. lifestyle that has produced such staggering statistics? How will the organic and local foods craze, coupled with a focus on diet and exercise change the situation? What kinds of policy changes might help?
Previous Understanding America Events
Women in Power
October 8, 7 p.m. — Film Screening
"The Contender"
October 14, 5:30 p.m. — Dinner Discussion
In 1920, women in America received the right to vote and in 1969, Yale College admitted its first coed class. Now forty years later, women including Hillary Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor, and Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell sit at the highest levels of business and government. Are women close to breaking through what Clinton once referred to as “that highest, hardest glass ceiling”? How do gender issues play out in a university setting? What does it mean to be a powerful woman in America today?
Events
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