Critical Conversations Offered on Campus

War, suffering, and devastation in Gaza, Haiti, and other parts of the world. The intense campaigning leading up to Election Day here at home. The tension between freedom and responsibility in a democracy.

USF is a community dedicated to asking questions and learning from conversations with each other. This fall, there are plentiful opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to reflect, dialogue, explore, and grow in understanding.  

Please note that dates and times of the events below can change. More events will be added as details and speakers are confirmed.

  • Need more information about issues related to the presidential election? Visit the Election 2024 Pop-Up hosted by USF Votes on the first floor of University Center every Tuesday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. until Election Day.  
  • Curious about San Francisco politics? Gather with neighbors in the Richmond at the Internet Archive Headquarters for “Spotlight On: Money in SF Politics,” sponsored by the McCarthy Center on Monday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Jewish Studies and Social Justice is offering several programs and events open to the community this fall, including:
    • “Israel’s Black Panthers: The Radicals Who Punctured a Nation’s Founding Myth,” Thursday, Oct. 17, 6:30-8 p.m. on Welch Field.
    • “American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine,” Monday, Nov. 11, 6:30-8 p.m. in Fromm Hall, Maraschi Room.
  • Middle Eastern Studies has announced two campus events:
    • “Antisemitism in the Pro-Palestinian Movement: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Why it Matters,” lecture by USF Politics Professor and Coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies Stephen Zunes, Thursday, Sept. 26, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. in the Getty Study.
    • "Understanding Gaza: A Queer Feminist Lens," lecture by Professor Sa’ed Atshan, chair of the Peace and Conflict Studies program at Swarthmore College, Monday, Nov. 18, 4:30 p.m. in McLaren 251.
  • The Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice is sponsoring “2024 Election Aftermath: Chaos or Community?" with Politics Professors Stephen Zunes and Keally McBride on Oct. 22 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.  in McLaren 250.
  • As votes are counted, everyone is invited to gather on Tuesday, Nov. 5 beginning at 4:30 p.m. for an Election Day Watch Party on the first floor of UC. The community will come together again in Lone Mountain’s Handlery Room on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a post-election community reflection, dialogue, and debrief. Both events sponsored by the McCarthy Center.


—Division of Academic Affairs