Each semester, Oldenborg collaborates with faculty and invites noted scholars, writers, activists, and professionals to speak on topics of cultural and international interest.
We are happy to offer up to two (2) OLC events per month on select Fridays in Frank Blue Room. Talks are held from 12:15-1:15 p.m.
For availably or to suggest a speaker, email Oldenborg Interim Director Senem Bakar.
Check back often for updates to our schedule and sign up for Friends of Oldenborg mailing list to stay up to date on talks and events. Frank Dining Hall access requires a meal purchase/swipe. If using cash, please purchase meal tickets in advance at Café 47. Additionally, guests or community members may purchase meal tickets at the entrance of Frank Blue Room using credit/debit card.
Upcoming Events
November 10, 2026
Oldenborg Summer Grant Recipients
TBD
April 30, 2027
LR Conversation Class Projects
TBD
Past Events
February 10
When Voters Exit Authoritarianism Survives
Chipo Dendere, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Africana Studies Department, Wellesley College
Co-sponsored with the International Relations Program at Pomona College
February 24
AI Beyond the Buzz: The Reality and the Future
Feng Xiao, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Literatures; Oldenborg Faculty Fellow
Co-sponsored with the Asian Languages and Literatures Department
March 9
On the Road: Young Literature from Germany in Claremont, CA
Louise Kenn & Mücahit Türk (authors); presented in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and the German Institute for Literature Leipzig
Co-sponsored with Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the German & Russian Department at Pomona College
March 10
From Paradise Lost to Peony Pavilion — Creative Inspirations for Contemporary Art Practice
Jennifer Wen Ma, Interdisciplinary Artist
Co-sponsored with the Asian Languages and Literatures Department at Pomona College
March 26
Music as Collective Memory – Sound and Remembrance in Japanese Tradition
Nobuko Fukatsu & Mao Sakurada, Japanese traditional musicians
Co-sponsored with the Asian Languages and Literatures at Pomona College
March 31
Beyond Myths & Misperceptions: Re-examining International Negotiations
Cecily Brewer, nonresident scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Co-sponsored with the International Relations Program at Pomona College
April 1
Battling for Earth in Belém: Student Delegates Speak on the Global Climate Summit (COP30)
Sydney Tai ‘26, Fiona Herbold ‘26, Aditya Bhargava ‘26, Annika Weber ‘26, Derek Basil-Porter ‘25, and Isabella Newcomer SC-‘27
Co-sponsored with the Environmental Analysis and the International Relations Programs at Pomona College
April 3
Fermenting Change: A Feminist and Collective Approach to Viticulture
Alix Wineglass, Independent winemaker, Roussillon, South of France
Co-sponsored with the Romance Languages and Literatures Department at Pomona College
April 7
Climate Catastrophe and Co-Evolution in Contemporary Ecofiction
Nicole A. Sütterlin, Associate Professor of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures, Rice University
Co-sponsored with the German and Russian Department at Pomona College
April 21
Genocide State Crime and Myanmar’s Genocide of the Rohingya
Penny Green, Professor of Law and Globalisation, Founder and Director the International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary University of London, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
Co-sponsored with the German and Russian Department at Pomona College
April 23
In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union
Harriet Murav, Center for Advanced Study Professor Emerita, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sasha Senderovich, Associate Professor of Slavic Languages & Literatures and of International Studies at the University of Washington
Co-sponsored with the German and Russian Department, the Wig Teaching Innovation Grant, the History Department, and the Religious Studies Department (Hartog '74) at Pomona College
April 28
Conversation Courses: A Roundtable with the Language Residents
Co-sponsored with the Foreign Language Resource Center at Pomona College
Access on E. Bonita Ave., across from Wig Hall