In a weekly lunch series, students discuss national and state politics with experts from the worlds of government, policy and journalism.

Every Wednesday, we'll discuss one issue that dominates political debate in Washington and Sacramento. Students will participate as panelists and analysts, and our guest experts will answer questions and respond to comments from those in attendance.

Co-sponsored by the Unruh Institute of Politics, the Department of Political Science, the Daily Trojan, the Political Student Assembly, the College Democrats and the College Republicans.

Weekly: Wed 09/02/2009 - 11/18/2009; 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus Senior Commons Room

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Achieve specific weight-loss goals in an intimate group setting, with co-workers to help motivate and support your efforts.

An open house on September 3 will introduce the Weight Watchers at Work program

When you start losing weight and notice the difference in your health, appearance and energy, you will most likely become a strong supporter of the statement, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

Fees and the length of series are dependent on the number of participants.

Call Nazeen Sayeed at (323) 442-8354 for information about the Health Sciences Campus Weight Watchers at Work program.

Weekly: Thu 09/03/2009 - 01/07/2010; 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus Gould School of Law, Room 2

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Professors Anderson, Bottjer and Pinkus lead a bus trip to observe the range of time around us in Los Angeles.

Tying in with the seminar Human Time, Geological Time: Discrepancies and Adaptations, the USC College’s Lawford Anderson (Earth Sciences), David Bottjer (Earth Sciences) and Karen Pinkus (French and Italian, and Comparative Literature) climb aboard to study the subject firsthand. Making stops at Silverado Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains, the Laguna Beach area, and Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, visiting fossils and oil pumps, they will discuss geological change, energy sources and land use along the way.

To RSVP, use the event code "CC1106".

Saturday 11/07/2009: 9:00 AM

Multiple Locations Greater Los Angeles Area

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The USC Fisher Museum of Art presents a fun-filled day for children and their families to explore art together. Activities will include a photographic portrait-making workshop, exhibition tours, face painting, prizes, live music, cotton candy, popcorn and hot dogs.

All ages are welcome!

Saturday 11/07/2009: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

University Park Campus USC Fisher Museum of Art Harris Hall

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Amy Gerstler, author of Dearest Creature, received her B.A. in psychology from Pitzer College in 1978 and her M.F.A. in nonfiction from Bennington College in 2000. Her other books of poetry include Ghost Girl; Medicine, finalist for the Phi Beta Kappa Poetry Award; Crown of Weeds; Nerve Storm; Bitter Angel, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; and The True Bride.

Kenneth Turan, author of Free For All: Joe Papp, The Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told, is film critic for the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and the director of the Times’ Book Prizes. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Turan has been the Times’ book review editor and a staff writer for The Washington Post and TV Guide. His other books include Never Coming To A Theater Near You and Now In Theaters. He is also on the board of directors of the National Yiddish Book Center.

Monday 11/09/2009: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library Intellectual Commons, Room 233

The University Park Campus Health Center, Residential Education and Recreational Sports offer presentations on living well.

Beyond Pizza: Eating Well at EVerybody's Kitchen and Parkside Restaurant
Just because it's "all you can eat" doesn't mean you have to!

SCuisine: Eating Well at USC
Making healthy food choices on campus and selecting snacks to energize you throughout your busy day

Energize Your Workout: Food to Fuel Your Inner Athlete
Understanding calories, proteins and carbs so that you can make healthy choices for your workout — all about sports drinks, energy bars and protein supplements

Eating for As: The Best Foods for Exams, Midterms and Finals
Choosing the foods for concentration, creativity and productivity — understanding the impact of coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks

Healthy Holiday Eating
One session about American holiday foods (international students welcome), and another about maintaining a healthy diet during the holidays

Dates: 10/09/2009, 10/12/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/20/2009, 11/23/2009, 11/30/2009, 12/14/2009: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Multiple Locations

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Careers outside academia can be rewarding intellectually and economically. Stephan Haas, Center for Excellence in Teaching fellow and professor of Physics and Astronomy, gathers a panel of former students and friends to discuss how to write a resume, prepare for an interview, negotiate a job offer, and avoid traditional pitfalls when looking for a job in industry.

The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

Refreshments will be served.

To RSVP, send an email to usccet@usc.edu, using "Job" in the subject line.

Friday 11/13/2009: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

University Park Campus Seaver Science Library Room 150

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Please note that the barbecue will begin at 9:30 a.m., and kickoff is at 12:30 p.m.

SPPD Homecoming Barbecue - USC vs. Stanford

FOOTBALL TICKETS SOLD OUT - BBQ TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE

Barbecue Tickets

Adults: $25 (includes 2 drink tickets)
Current SPPD students*: $15 (includes 2 drink tickets)
Future Trojans ages 5-12: $5
Future Trojans under 5: Free

>> Click here to purchase tickets

Contact: SPPD Development and External Relations office at sppdalum@usc.edu or call (213) 821-8182.

Saturday 11/14/2009: All day

University Park Campus Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall Garden Plaza Courtyard

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A session for assistant professors applying for one of five Department of Defense Young Investigator/Faculty Awards.

Four of the programs (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency) require candidates who have held their graduate degrees (Ph.D. or equivalent) for fewer than five years at roughly the time of application. Candidates for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award must be untenured assistant or associate professors within six years of appointment to a tenure-track position.

In all cases, the candidates must be U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents.

Monday 11/16/2009: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

University Park Campus Credit Union, Room 329

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Leora Rosen, director for Social Sciences at USC's D.C. Office of Research Advancement, discusses federal grant opportunities within the social sciences.

The course provides an overview of the types of federal grant opportunities that exist in the social sciences, with a focus on research, but including programmatic grants. It will delve into differences in the interests, missions and goals of the main federal agencies that fund social science, and how this impacts social science research.

We will review steps to take in preparing a grant proposal, including how to be responsive to the goals of solicitation, how to establish collaborations, and how the Office of Research Advancement can help.

Tuesday 11/17/2009: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

University Park Campus Credit Union Building, Room 329

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Literary legend Isabel Allende takes the stage for a Visions and Voices signature event.

“A genius.” — Los Angeles Times

Social activist and feminist icon Isabel Allende — now in the third decade of a career like no one else’s — has sold more than 51 million books worldwide in more than 32 languages. Her novels and memoirs have established her as one of the most respected writers the world has ever known. At this signature event, Allende will translate the famous magical realism of her prose into an astonishing presentation that weaves together her family history, her literary trailblazing and her uniquely forged insights on social justice, feminism and political and personal freedom. Allende talks with humor, wisdom and passion about the heart-stirring beauty of the human condition.

A reception and book signing will follow.

A native of Chile, Isabel Allende was forced into exile following the assassination of her uncle, President Salvador Allende. Since then, she has written 17 books, including The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune (an Oprah pick) and Inés of My Soul. Her nonfiction work includes Paula and The Sum of Our Days. She is also the founder of the Isabel Allende Foundation, which promotes and preserves the fundamental rights of women and children to be empowered and protected.

Tuesday 11/17/2009: 7:00 PM

University Park Campus Bovard Auditorium

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Once again it's time to give up summer fun and hit the books. Learn good study habits and ways to manage stress.

Lifestyle Balance
Wednesday, September 9, 12-1 p.m.
Too much time spent with school activities? Not enough? Redesign your life to achieve a balance between school, social events, physical health, and fun.

Time Management
Wednesday, September 23, 12-1 p.m.
Learn techniques to help you make the most of your time. Get organized.

Procrastination
Wednesday, September 30, 12-1 p.m.
Avoiding schoolwork? Feeling distracted? Learn how to eliminate distractions and improve motivation.

Study Skills
Wednesday, October 7, 12-1 p.m.
Identify study strategies that match your learning style, and learn how to create the most effective study environment.

Stress Management: Part I
Wednesday, November 4, 12-1 p.m.
Identify your stress triggers. Learn how to manage your stress effectively.

Stress Management: Part II
Wednesday, November 18, 12-1 p.m.
Participate in deep breathing, meditation, progressive relaxation, and other powerful relaxation exercises.

To register online, click here.

Dates: 09/09/2009, 09/23/2009, 09/30/2009, 10/07/2009, 11/04/2009, 11/18/2009: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus General William Lyon University Center Conference Room

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USC Lecturer Cecilia Woloch and the English 404 course "The Writer in the Community" have teamed up again with the 32nd Street School to mentor young writers. Over the course of the semester, the USC students work with the children on poetry theory and the writing of actual pieces.

At the end of each term, Woloch's students, the 32nd Street School poetry writers and their parents come to USC campus for an evening of poetry reading and reflection of the past semester.

It is always a fantastically entertaining event!

Thursday 11/19/2009: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

University Park Campus Seeley G. Mudd Building 123

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The Viterbi School pairs engineering students with inner-city youth to compete in an engineering design challenge.

Presented by Viterbi's Engineers as Teachers, sponsored by local nonprofit Iridescent and USC Neighborhood Outreach, this exciting competition pairs engineers with fifth graders from local schools. It is a unique opportunity to prototype innovative engineering solutions while mentoring and inspiring children.

The competition will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m., and lunch (for all teams) will be served at 12 p.m.

Register online before November 10 to get your T-shirt.

To learn more about the competition, visit iridescentlearning.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=25, call (310) 309-0766 or email Tara@IridescentLearning.org.

Friday 11/20/2009: 11:00 AM

University Park Campus Engineering Quad

With fellow Trojans, learn how to navigate and leverage LinkedIn for networking and job search opportunities.

This event will include an interactive computer-based training session.

The agenda will include the following topics:

• LinkedIn 101
• Ways LinkedIn can help you
  

Attire is business casual. Please note that Career Planning & Placement Center alumni events have filled very quickly in the past. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have questions regarding this event or need special accommodation for the event, please call (213) 821-6289 or email alumniCS@usc.edu.

Friday 11/20/2009: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

University Park Campus Waite Phillips Hall Room B36

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Find out how Native American students see their world and yours at a screening featuring the next generation of filmmakers.

Did you know that Los Angeles has the second-largest concentration of Native Americans of any U.S. city? Or that USC sits on what was once Native American land?

Presented as the opening night of the 2009 L.A. Skins Fest, this event will feature films made by Native youth from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Produced by Native high school, undergraduate and graduate students, the films range from serious documentaries to animated comedies, and offer great insight into today’s Native American youth. The works explore the students’ own environments and cultures while challenging them to draw difficult conclusions about who they are and where they come from.

The screenings will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and festival organizers Ian Skorodin and Patricia Gomes (USC, class of 2011) and a reception with live Native music.

Organized by John Carlos Rowe (English and American Studies and Ethnicity). Co-sponsored by the 2009 L.A. Skins Fest and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and Department of American Studies and Ethnicity.

Friday 11/20/2009: 7:00 PM

University Park Campus Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Frank Sinatra Hall

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The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country.

Newly elected President Mandela knows that his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

Guests are invited to a reception prior to the screening.

Proceeds benefit the USC School of Social Work.

To receive an invite, contact swevents@usc.edu or call (213) 821-1297.

Tuesday 12/08/2009: 6:30 PM

Warner Bros. Studio 4000 Warner Boulevard Burbank CA 91522

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It will also be a chance to learn more about the School of Social Work's new military social work program. Meet Dean Marilyn Flynn, faculty, veterans and students in this exciting new specialization. Experience simulated wartime scenarios in virtual reality settings created by USC's Institute for Creative Technologies. Network with fellow Trojans and enjoy a taste of San Diego aboard the USS Midway.

Proceeds from the night will support scholarships for students in the military social work program.

Ahoy, Trojans!

Thursday 12/10/2009: 6:30 PM

USS Midway Museum 901 North Harbor Drive San Diego CA 92101

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For more information, please call the Thornton Development Office at (213) 740-6474 or visit www.usc.edu/music/giving.

Friday 12/11/2009: 7:30 PM

Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles CA 90071

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A moving and provocative event explores the legacy of the Vietnam War, through two new Vietnamese films.

Schedule

2 p.m. Screening of Don’t Burn!
4 p.m. Panel Discussion
4:45 p.m. Reception
5:15 p.m. Screening of Oh, Saigon!
6:15 p.m. Discussion with filmmakers Doan Hoang and Dang Nhat Minh and author Andrew X. Pham

Join us for a screening and discussion of two new Vietnamese films, Don’t Burn! by Vietnam’s most acclaimed filmmaker, Dang Nhat Minh, and Oh, Saigon! by award-winning documentary filmmaker Doan Hoang. 

Don’t Burn! is based on the Vietnamese best-seller Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram, written by a young female doctor from North Vietnam who was killed during the war. The film tells the moving story of her personal experiences as well as the tale of how her diary, discovered by an American serviceman, narrowly escaped burning and was eventually returned to Vietnam, where it became an international publishing sensation. This is the first Vietnamese film shot in part in the United States. 

Oh, Saigon! tells another side of the war story, focusing on a Vietnamese family who fled Saigon on the last civilian airplane to leave in 1975. After 30 years in the United States, the family returns to visit relatives, some of whom fought on the other side of the conflict, and to make amends with one daughter left behind.

A discussion about the legacy of the Vietnam War will feature filmmakers Dang Nhat Minh and Doan Hoang and author Andrew X. Pham. Minh, Vietnam’s premier film director, has made more than a dozen films, featured at festivals throughout the world. Hoang is a Vietnamese-born filmmaker whose film Oh, Saigon! won the Best Documentary award at the Asian Pacific Film Festival in Los Angeles. Pham is the Vietnamese-born author of two acclaimed memoirs, Catfish and Mandala and The Eaves of Heaven, and translator of Last Night I Dreamed of Peace. 

Organized by Janet Hoskins (Anthropology) and Viet Nguyen (English and American Studies and Ethnicity). Co-sponsored by the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, Asian American Studies, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Center for Trans-Pacific Studies.

Saturday 01/23/2010: 2:00 PM - 6:45 PM

University Park Campus Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre Frank Sinatra Hall

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The USC arts schools offer an exciting array of hands-on workshops in art, photography, theater, dance, music, architecture and film.

In response to popular demand, the USC arts schools team up once again to present a daylong festival, an exciting opportunity to get your hands dirty with the arts. Learn how to salsa dance, make a sculpture, play guitar or take architectural photos. Join us, get your hands dirty, and experience the creativity and thrill of making art!

Organized by the USC arts schools

Saturday 01/30/2010: All day

University Park Campus

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Established in 1988 and presented annually by the Friends of the USC Libraries, the Scripter celebrates with its 22nd annual black-tie gala, to take place in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.

Eligible written works and films are reviewed by a committee consisting of Writers Guild of America members, Academy Award-winning and -nominated screenwriters, authors, film industry executives, faculty and select members of the Friends of the USC Libraries. This selection committee narrows down the year's eligible films to five nominees and then chooses the year's best cinematic adaptation.

Past Scripter winners have included the authors and screenwriters of Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, Million Dollar Baby, The Hours, A Beautiful Mind, L.A. Confidential, The English Patient and Schindler's List.

Saturday 02/06/2010: 6:30 PM

University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library Times Reference Room

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How can museums attract the public today? Join us for an important conversation featuring several star museum professionals.

With multimillion-dollar blockbuster shows a dying species due to the economic crisis, how can museums attract the public? Who will go to them, and why should they bother?

This talk will delve into the subject of the new book Beyond the Turnstile: Making the Case for Museums and Sustainable Values, edited by Selma Holo and Mari-Tere Alvarez. Three museum professionals will join Holo and Alvarez to discuss the crisis in museums today and the opportunities to rise above it.

Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and one of our most dynamic and creative art museum leaders, will discuss the transformation he is leading to make LACMA more relevant to a vital contemporary life in Los Angeles. Donny George Youkhanna, who served as director of the Baghdad Museum during the American invasion of Iraq and was witness to the looting of some of civilization’s keystone culture monuments, will share his thoughts about archaeology collections and their future in an ever more globalized world. Dr. Jorge Wagensberg, scientific director of the Foundation “la Caixa” and creator of CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, one of the world’s most exciting science museums, will contribute his idea that, unlike any other institution, museums can provide an experience of authenticity — a way of learning that emanates not from the word, but from the world.

The event will be moderated by Selma Holo, director of USC’s Fisher Museum and its new International Museum Institute. It will also include remarks by Mari-Tere Alvarez, project specialist in the department of education at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Holo and Alvarez’s new book, Beyond the Turnstile: Making the Case for Museums and Sustainable Values, examines what museums — whether devoted to art or science or history — must do to be indispensable to society today and in the future. Their book is changing the conversation in the museum world from “How many came to the show, and how much money did we make today?” to “How did our museum serve and change society today? How did it help to make society better, smarter, more tolerant and more creative?”

Please join us and be a part of this new conversation.

A reception and book signing will follow.

Thursday 02/11/2010: 7:00 PM

University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library Room 240

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C.E.B. Reas gives a lecture and workshops exploring the history of Processing, the programming language he co-developed.

Lecture
Wednesday, February 17, 6 p.m.
Kerckhoff Hall

Workshops
February 19, February 26, March 5, 12-3 p.m.
Egg Company Building, Institute for Multimedia Literacy, Blue Lab
Reservations are required.

In 2001, C.E.B. Reas and Ben Fry developed a free, easy-to-use programming language called Processing, which allows artists and designers with little background in coding to experiment with the programming of images, animation and interactivity. The result has been an explosion of moving-image artworks and a community devoted to Processing’s use.

This series will explore the history and development of Processing with a presentation by Reas and several workshops designed to allow USC students and faculty to explore Processing as a kind of software sketchbook.

Based in Los Angeles, C.E.B. Reas focuses on defining processes and translating them into images. He is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Design and Media Arts at UCLA. Reas has exhibited his work internationally at institutions, independent venues, galleries and festivals, including LAboral (Spain); the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (New York); the National Museum for Art, Architecture, and Design (Oslo); Telic Arts Exchange (Los Angeles); <>TAG (The Hague); Egopark (Oakland); Bitforms (New York); [DAM]Berlin; Sónar (Barcelona); Ars Electronica (Linz); and Microwave (Hong Kong). With Ben Fry, Reas published Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists, a 736-page comprehensive introduction to programming within the context of visual media.

Wednesday 02/17/2010: 6:00 PM

University Park Campus

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As part of Visions and Voices’ new museum series, USC students visit the Norton Simon in Pasadena.

This trip is for current USC students only. You must use the provided transportation to participate. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. RSVP beginning Wednesday, March 3, at 9 a.m. Check-in for the event will begin at 11:15 a.m. on campus. Buses will depart at 12 p.m. and will return to campus at 5 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.

Los Angeles has a rich tapestry of museums with extraordinary collections, from the Getty Villa in Malibu and the Norton Simon in Pasadena to MOCA and LACMA in the heart of Los Angeles. The Museum Series — an exciting new take on the Visions and Voices experience — will offer students the opportunity to explore Los Angeles through its museums’ remarkable collections and the philosophies behind each world class institution.

The Norton Simon Museum is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections ever assembled. Over a 30-year period, Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed an astonishing collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century and a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. Among the most celebrated works he collected are Branchini Madonna, 1427, by Giovanni di Paolo; Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502–03, by Raphael; Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633, by Francisco de Zurbarán; Portrait of a Boy, c. 1655–60, by Rembrandt van Rijn; Mulberry Tree, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh; Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1878–81, by Edgar Degas; and Woman with a Book, 1932, by Pablo Picasso. Highlights from the Asian collection include the Buddha Shakyamuni, c. 550, India; Shiva as King of Dance, c. 1000, India; and Indra, 13th century, Nepal. Throughout the year, approximately 1,000 works from the permanent collection of 12,000 objects are on view in the museum’s galleries and sculpture garden.

Friday 03/26/2010: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Norton Simon Museum of Art 411 West Colorado Boulevard Pasadena CA 91105

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Explore the utopian aspirations — and dreams of transcendence — in ’50s and ’60s automotive design and youth car-mod subcultures.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Car Show
McCarthy Quad

3 p.m. Panel Discussion
Doheny Memorial Library, Intellectual Commons, Room 233

Throughout the day, stop by McCarthy Quad to check out a display of historic automobiles from the golden era of California car culture, including space age concept cars and vintage hot rods.

In the afternoon, join us for a panel discussion with Curtis Marez, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity and Cinematic Arts at USC; Leslie Kendall, curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum; and Beth Werling, collections manager of Material Culture at the Museum of Natural History.

In addition, the USC Libraries will present an exhibition of historic photographs showing the influences of futurist design and lowrider, hot-rod and street-racing subcultures on Southern California car culture, immortalized in such films as American Graffiti.

Wednesday 04/07/2010: All day

University Park Campus

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