Mahindra Humanities Center Courses

Shannon Jackson- Ecological Time in Time-Based Media Art

Exploring ecological themes in time-based media art, examining artists' responses to climate change and their techniques for addressing urgent environmental crises through visual storytelling.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 17 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

William Kentridge - Drawing Lesson: Anti-Entropy

Explore the creative process and knowledge creation through art with William Kentridge's lecture on drawing, incorporating philosophy, history, and visual perception.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 11 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

William Kentridge - Drawing Lesson: In Praise of Mistranslation

Drawing as a means of understanding: Kentridge explores art's role in creating knowledge, from Plato's cave to colonial oppression, challenging how we construct meaning through visual processes and transformations.

• YouTube
• 58 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Raven Leilani in Conversation with Jesse McCarthy - Writers Speak Series

Acclaimed author Raven Leilani discusses her work and creative process with Harvard professor Jesse McCarthy, exploring themes of race, art, and contemporary literature in this engaging literary conversation.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 9 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Indigiqueer Imaginings at the End and Beginning of Worlds

Exploration of Indigiqueer literature's role in challenging colonial boundaries, emphasizing Two-Spirit literary sovereignty and the embodied erotic as a political force for Indigenous expression and resistance.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 14 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

On Speaking as an Other - Norton Lecture 2

Viet Thanh Nguyen explores memoir writing, collective storytelling, and the complexities of betrayal and secrets in this thought-provoking lecture on speaking from an outsider's perspective.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 27 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Alma Guillermoprieto and Valeria Luiselli - Writers Speak Conversation

Acclaimed Latin American writers Alma Guillermoprieto and Valeria Luiselli engage in a thought-provoking dialogue, sharing insights on their literary careers, cultural perspectives, and the art of storytelling.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 12 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Rethinking Reproduction in Climate Crisis

Explores diverse perspectives on fertility and family in the context of climate change, examining tensions between scarcity, abundance, choice, and control from various viewpoints and cultural works.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 17 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

On Crossing Borders - Literary Responses to Colonization

Viet Thanh Nguyen explores literary responses to colonization, focusing on forms that cross or abolish borders and invent new styles like "horrific surrealism" to address ongoing political, economic, and cultural consequences.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 28 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Oppenheimer: Triumph, Tragedy, and Legacy - A Conversation with Kai Bird

Explore J. Robert Oppenheimer's life and legacy through a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Kai Bird, discussing his biography that inspired Christopher Nolan's film.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 24 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Creativity, Art, and Leadership in Prison and Beyond

Exploring the transformative power of art in prisons and beyond, featuring formerly incarcerated artists discussing their experiences and the impact of creative expression on personal and social change.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 40 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

The Data of Climate Crisis - Environment Forum with Sara Grossman

Explore the historical ties between meteorological science and state power, and their impact on climate crisis data today with environmental historian Sara J. Grossman.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 8 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values - Civic Engagement and Democracy - Lecture Two

Explore strategies for building collective power and fostering civic engagement in democratic societies with political scientist Hahrie Han's insightful lecture.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 40 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Writers Speak - Rachel Cohen in Conversation with Claire Messud

Engaging dialogue between authors Rachel Cohen and Claire Messud, exploring literary craft, creative processes, and the art of writing in contemporary times.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 21 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

The Tanner Lectures on Human Values - Civic Engagement in Democracy - Lecture One

Explore the intersection of democracy, civic engagement, and social change with political scientist Hahrie Han in this thought-provoking lecture from the prestigious Tanner Lectures series.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 35 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video