Every week, 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.

The program will begin at 12 p.m. each Wednesday. Please note that the series will skip Wednesday, April 7.

Free lunch will be provided.

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

Weekly: Wed 01/20/2010 - 04/21/2010; 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library Intellectual Commons, Room 233

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Zen meditation improves physical and mental health and relieves stress. Regardless of your religious background, you are welcome to join.

Beginners are welcome for the first three weeks (after this, please contact organizers before attending, so we can make arrangements to review basics with you before the session). Loose-fitting clothing is recommended. Don’t plan to attend immediately after dining. We will be sitting on the floor. Foam mats are provided; if you prefer a softer mat, please bring your own.

Weekly: Wed 02/03/2010 - 03/10/2010; 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

University Park Campus University Religious Center Fishbowl Chapel

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As the Supreme Court enters the second half of its term, the judges will rule on a variety of crucial cases that could change the nation’s legal climate. Savage will talk about the Roberts Court, Sonia Sotomayor, and what lies ahead. He will also discuss Citizens United v. FEC, a case that will fundamentally change the nature of political campaigns.

Lunch will be served.

The event is sponsored by the USC Gould School of Law and the USC student chapters of The American Constitution Society and The Federalist Society.

Tuesday 02/09/2010: 12:20 PM - 1:10 PM

University Park Campus Musick Law Building (LAW) Room 7

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Wednesday 02/10/2010: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus Hahn Plaza At Tommy Trojan

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A comparative look at international laws that protect or restrict the civil liberties of individuals within the LGBT community.

Shafiqa Ahmadi, J.D., faculty member at the Rossier School of Education, will discuss the cultural and religious views which inform recent anti-gay laws that have been proposed and passed in some countries. These include the infamous “kill the gays” bill in Uganda and the recent sentencing of a gay couple in Malawi.  

Ahmadi is a faculty member at the Rossier School of Education and has taught at the Gould School of Law. Most recently, she worked for the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, where she investigated alleged violations of civil rights and discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, and access to state and state funded services.

Her area of research include: the legal protection of and services provided for underrepresented student populations in the institutions of higher education, such as Muslim students, students from the LGBT community, student veterans, and students with disabilities. She is also interested in researching and writing on Shariah or Islamic law, the historical effects of Shariah on Muslim women, the status of women in Islam today, the portrayal of women in classical Persian literature, and Title IX and its impact on women on college campuses.
 
Ahmadi received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.

Lunch will be provided.

Thursday 02/11/2010: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

University Park Campus Waite Phillips Hall (WPH) 403

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A jam-packed night featuring capoeira performers, samba dancing, a drag revue and much more.

The USC Carnival will feature:

• A drag revue sponsored by the LGBTA and LGBT Center
• Capoeira performers practicing the art of Brazilian fight dance
• Samba dancers
• Mock gambling
• A raffle drawing, with chances to win amazing prizes
• A DJ and dance floor
• A photo booth

Admission and food are free.

Dress to impress; this is a semi-formal event. And bring a date.

Bring cash to purchase extra raffle tickets and extra gambling chips.

All proceeds will go to Pete Carroll's charity, A Better L.A.

Saturday 02/13/2010: 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM

University Park Campus Town and Gown

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A riveting documentary examining masculinity, sexism and homophobia in hip-hop culture.

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens in 2007. Delivering a self-described “loving critique” of rap music, director Byron Hurt — a star quarterback in college, longtime hip-hop fan, and now a gender violence prevention educator — pays tribute to the power and creativity of hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive stereotypes of manhood in general and perpetuating negative myths about African American males in particular.

Critically acclaimed for its fearless engagement with issues of race and racism, gender violence, and the corporate exploitation of youth culture, this prophetic film is as entertaining as it is educational, as bold as the bravado it exposes.

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, produced and directed by Byron Hurt, is a co-production of God Bless the Child Productions Inc. and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). It was executive produced by Stanley Nelson and Sally Jo Fifer, and co-produced and edited by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon.

The LGBT Resource Center and Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs are proud to sponsor this screening. For more information, email lgbt@usc.edu or visit www.usc.edu/lgbt or www.usc.edu/cbcsa.

Tuesday 02/16/2010: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

University Park Campus Doheny Memorial Library (DML) 240

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Food for Thought’s ongoing “Jesus at the Movies” series screens and discusses the 1989 Quebecois film.

Jesus of Montreal will be screened on Wednesday, February 17 and Monday, February 22. On Wednesday, February 24, Father James Heft will lead a discussion based on the film.

After finishing his doctoral studies in historical theology at the University of Toronto, Father Heft spent many years at the University of Dayton, a Catholic university founded by the Marianists. There he served as chair of the Theology Department for six years, provost of the university for eight years, and chancellor for 10 years. He left the University of Dayton in the summer of 2006 to work on the foundation of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, where he is currently Alton Brooks Professor of Religion, and president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies.

Dates: 02/17/2010, 02/22/2010, 02/24/2010: 6:00 PM

University Park Campus United University Church (UMC) Peace Center

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Join students and faculty from the Department of Comparative Literature for a dynamic discussion of new media and the vanishing of the material.

In the morning, keynote speaker Timothy Murray, professor of comparative literature and English at Cornell University and author of Digital Baroque: New Media and Art and Cinematic Folds, will lead a roundtable discussion of papers by USC graduate students. (These papers will be available for online reading on the USC Comparative Literature Web page in the weeks before the symposium.)

In the afternoon, Professor Murray will give a lecture related to the themes of the symposium, followed by a question and answer session.

The USC Comparative Literature Symposium is an annual event organized by the graduate students of the USC Department of Comparative Literature. In the past, it has been funded by several USC College departments and centers and the USC College Graduate Professionalization Initiative. The format changes somewhat each year, but one constant is that distinguished symposium guests — among them Giorgio Agamben, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida and Samuel Weber — respond to students’ lectures. The USC Department of Comparative Literature has a rich and successful tradition of hosting both emerging and established scholars for symposia, to the great benefit of the campus community.

Lunch will be provided. All faculty and students are welcome to attend.

Friday 02/19/2010: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

University Park Campus Social Sciences Building B40

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Complete with a light show and great energy, this event brings diversity and fun to campus.

Friday 02/26/2010: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

University Park Campus McCarthy Quad

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Join USC Traditional Chinese Dance for an evening of rich culture, dance and history!

“Dance to a New Year” will feature exciting new choreography and old favorites. The story of Mulan, a legendary Chinese heroine, will be presented with a variety of dance styles and a guest performance by Wushu Nation.

Saturday 02/27/2010: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

University Park Campus Bovard Auditorium (ADM)

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Lester Barrie will serve as host.

Sunday 02/28/2010: 3:00 PM

University Park Campus Bovard Auditorium (ADM)

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Garibaldi’s performances are high-energy and inspirational. During his shows, he creates six-foot portraits of various pop figures, including Kanye West, Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Elvis. An onstage DJ serves as musical accompaniment.

Monday 03/01/2010: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

University Park Campus Bovard Auditorium

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