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Q&A on the German election results
The dome of a building is visible on the left. To the right, a striped black, red and yellow flag is flying on a pole. An inscription on the building reads: “Dem Deutschen Volke,” or “To the German People.”

The German flag flies in front of the Reichstag building the day after the German Bundestag elections were held.

(Image: Christophe Gateau/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Q&A on the German election results

Kristen Ghodsee of the Department of Russian and East European Studies discusses the outcome of the German parliamentary elections and the implications for Europe’s future.
Corine Labridy leads an exploration of French Caribbean culture and literature
A woman with glasses in a dark sweater sits behind a desk, looking to the left.

Corine Labridy, an assistant professor of French and Francophone studies, uses the literature of the French Caribbean to help students learn larger lessons about identity and culture.

(Image: Corine Labridy)

Corine Labridy leads an exploration of French Caribbean culture and literature

The French and Francophone Studies faculty member took an unconventional route to academia. She places the voices of the islands at the heart of her work.
An online resource for learners across the Italian language community
Blurred figures of people walk across a public square in Milano, Italy.

The Italian language learning tool PRIMA was developed by faculty at Penn to help show students the diversity in Italian language and culture.

(Image: iStock/LeoPatrizi)

An online resource for learners across the Italian language community

The Pedagogical Repository for Italian Media Activities, or PRIMA, helps students and faculty explore Italian language and culture by using voices and imagery that better represent the culture.
Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community
A classroom of students sitting behind desks. One student is at the front of the classroom delivering a presentation.

Students in one of Penn's Vietnamese language classes taught by Hanh Nguyen (upper left) discuss a presentation. Vietnamese recently became part of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

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Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community

The expansion into the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations has been partly driven by heritage speakers seeking to connect with their families and cultures.
Is sustainable development an oxymoron?
Harvested coffee beans drying in the sun on tables in coffee fields in Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica, harvested organic coffee beans are dried in the sun.

(Image: iStock/Andrzej Rostek)

Is sustainable development an oxymoron?

Teresa Giménez, director of the Spanish Language Program and lecturer in foreign languages in the School of Arts & Sciences, discusses the tensions at play when considering this type of growth in Latin America.

From Omnia

A monumental view of the Ten Commandments
Two ancient Hebrew bibles open on a table.

Image: iStock/Volodymyr Zakharov

A monumental view of the Ten Commandments

Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Assistant Professor Timothy Hogue sees the foundational text as more than just words.

Susan Ahlborn

‘What is the Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century’
A man looks at a stand-alone wall of carved busts in niches

Image: David von Becker/Deutsches Historisches Museum

‘What is the Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century’

In a new exhibition in Berlin, Liliane Weissberg of the School of Arts & Sciences curates hundreds of objects reflecting on the nature of Enlightenment and its continued significance today.

Kristina García

Lauder students embark on odyssey through Georgia
Group of people huddled together in front of a mural.

Attendees of the Lauder Institute’s LIV trip to Georgia pose in front of the Russian Georgian Friendship Monument, erected by the Soviet Union in 1983 in northern Georgia. 

(Image: The Lauder Institute)

Lauder students embark on odyssey through Georgia

As part of the Lauder Institute’s Lauder Intercultural Ventures program, graduate students traveled to Georgia, to the Russian border, and beyond, learning about wine, language, historical reckonings, and more. 
Chinese Calligraphy Club makes an old art new again
Hands holding calligraphy brush as they paint.

The Penn Chinese Calligraphy Club features drop-in sessions from 6-7 p.m. on Fridays at the ARCH Fireside Lounge.

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Chinese Calligraphy Club makes an old art new again

The Penn Chinese Calligraphy Club, formed during the pandemic, endures as a meeting ground for amateur calligraphers who value the practice as meditation and art.