CURRENT PROGRAMS

Our programs are free of charge. Unless otherwise stated, all programs are open to undergraduate and graduate students, and require no prior knowledge or experience.

Our Spring 2023 Semester Theme is “The Good Life.”
Read more about our semester themes here.

  • Drop-In Study Hours

    Come by the Berkeley Institute every Thursday from 12:30-2:30pm for coffee/tea, snacks, and a place to study!

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  • Fall Opening Reception

    Thursday, January 19 from 5:30-7:00PM

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  • Disciplinary Knowledge and the Good Life

    What does my discipline, major, or department have to teach me about what makes a life meaningful, fulfilling or well-lived? Join us for a series of conversations with UC Berkeley faculty throughout the spring semester.

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  • The Black Middle Ages: A Conversation with Professor Matthew Vernon

    Why has it been important to Americans to trace their language, culture, and history back to a medieval past? And how did Black Americans use that past in their own literary and intellectual work? Join us for a conversation with Professor Matthew Vernon.

    Friday, March 3 at 5:30pm

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  • A Better Life: Anthropological Inquiry into Living and Dying Well

    What does it mean to live a good life if the condition of living becomes one of dying?

    A two-part seminar series with Dr. Monica Mikhail

    Wednesdays, March 8 and 15 from 6:00pm-7:15pm

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  • Film Screenings

    Is the good life free of illness, pain, and want? The result of technological and scientific progress? Is it even possible on planet Earth? Join us for screenings of three films throughout the spring semester that explore questions raised by our semester theme of “the good life.”

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  • Does Reading Poetry Make Life Better? Uses of Literature and Life on Mars

    A two-part seminar series with Dr. Dena Fehrenbacher.

    Mondays, February 6 and 13 from 6:30-8:00pm

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  • The Good Life in Exile: The Life and Work of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha

    Is the Good Life impossible to find if you're an exile from your homeland? What does it mean to speak when the language you are speaking is not your own? A three-part series with Professor Katie Peterson and Professor Young Suh.

    Saturday, February 11; Fridays, February 17 and 24

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