Politics and Current Affairs
This page will be continuously updated with upcoming events related to the rapidly shifting sociopolitical landscape in the United States and around the world. To add your event to this list, please contact Kathleen McMahan. To see a full listing of all A&S Events, please subscribe to our calendar.
Highlighted Events
April 23 and 24 | Rapaporte Treasure Hall and Online
Join us as the Crown Center marks 20 years of bridging scholarship and real-world insight on the Middle East.
Our anniversary symposium on April 23–24 (in person and via livestream) brings together leading Crown scholars — past and present — to explore two pressing questions: What are the biggest challenges facing the Middle East? And where are the opportunities for optimism?
We’ll kick off on April 23 with a keynote by Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution, followed by a panel on Iran’s evolving regional and global challenges. On April 24, join us for three panel discussions on the future of Egypt and North Africa, Israel, Iraq, and the Levant, and Turkey and the Gulf.
Registration for in-person attendance is encouraged. Online attendance requires registration for each event separately.
This event is free and open to the public. Middle Eastern food will be served.
April 24 | 6-8:00 PM | Zinner Forum, Heller Schneider Building
Our democracy stands at a critical juncture, and each day brings increasing challenges. With each new round of executive actions, the norms and principles of democracy as we know it are further eroded. Threats to the legal profession and the court system impact the entire justice system and affect all people in this country. What do we all need to know to respond to the Rule of Law in crisis?
Join The Legal Studies Program and the Heller School for Social Policy for the 2025 Guberman Lecture, provided by Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Esq. Executive Director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy
The Guberman Lecture in law and social policy was established by his family to honor the noted Boston attorney and social justice advocate. The lecture is coordinated by the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the Legal Studies Program.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Legal Studies Program! Please consider a gift to the Legal Studies Program or the Heller School, #Hellerat65. Both of these will benefit future students at Brandeis University!
Speaker: Lauren Stiller Rikleen '75, Esq. Executive Director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy
Lauren Stiller Rikleen is the Executive Director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD). A former law firm partner and leader in professional and community organizations, Lauren is the author of 4 books and the editor of Her Honor –Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges.
April 24 | 6:15 PM | 515 South Street
Please join the Women's Studies Research Center for an interactive, student-centric conversation about gender and sexuality in our current world. In a time of attacks on reproductive rights, transgender livelihood, and marginalized women, learn from feminist lineages and find ways to stay hopeful and emboldened to take action.
Co-facilitators:
- Harleen Singh, Director of the WSRC
- Michelle Bowdler, author of Is Rape a Crime?
- ChaeRan Freeze, Chair of WGS
Kung Fu Tea and Dumpling Daughter will be served!