Colloquy

Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
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Conversations with visionary scholars and thinkers from the Harvard PhD community

  1. What Happens When Your Brain Goes to the Supermarket and Other Stories of Human Adaptability

    5 SEP

    What Happens When Your Brain Goes to the Supermarket and Other Stories of Human Adaptability

    We all want to live as long and as well as possible. Diet and exercise are crucial, but how can we make sense of the flood of information, which sometimes seems to contradict itself? More importantly, how can we adapt the information in ways that work for us as individuals? Know thyself, answers Duke University Professor Herman Pontzer, PhD ’06. Every body has a story, he asserts in his new book, Adaptable. So does every part of our body. The main characters are our organs and systems. The themes and plot are a mishmash of genes and our environment. The result is an astonishing amount of diversity across humanity, united by our common ability to adapt over time and place. Pontzer says that a deeper understanding of how our bodies evolved and how that process shapes our biology can help us better take charge of our health.

    25 min
  2. Living Tombs: Toward a Fluid Understanding of Architectural Space

    29 AGO

    Living Tombs: Toward a Fluid Understanding of Architectural Space

    2025 Harvard Horizons Scholar Sergio Alarcón Robledo explores ancient Egyptian architecture through an interdisciplinary approach that sits at the crossroads of archaeology, Egyptology, and architecture. By inquiring about the sensorial experiences of the past, the PhD student in Near Eastern languages and civilizations at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences seeks to understand why ancient funerary structures changed and evolved into monumental buildings. Collaborating with experts from Stanford University, Alarcón Robledo employed acoustic analysis to unravel how these ancient spaces would have shaped sound and, consequently, the human interactions that took place within them.

    7 min
  3. Empire of String: Unraveling the Enigma of Inka Khipus

    14 AGO

    Empire of String: Unraveling the Enigma of Inka Khipus

    The Inka Empire, the largest in the pre-Columbian Americas, is renowned for its impressive engineering feats, including an extensive road network and monumental architecture. Although the Inkas did not have a traditional writing system, they recorded information using a unique method: khipus. These knotted cords were essential tools for communication and record-keeping. Through meticulous structural analysis and documentation, FitzPatrick seeks to uncover the meanings encoded in khipus beyond their numerical knots. FitzPatrick’s project not only aims to advance archaeological knowledge but also seeks to reframe public understanding of the Inka Empire's complex administrative capabilities. By preserving and interpreting khipus, he hopes to reveal a more nuanced history of the Andean civilizations, illuminating the enduring legacy of their cultural innovations for contemporary audiences, as well as a powerful Indigenous perspective on Andean history—one distinct from narratives provided by Europeans.

    8 min
  4. Embracing Twilight: Older Women Poets of the Slavic World and the Unfurling of Their Voices

    30 JUL

    Embracing Twilight: Older Women Poets of the Slavic World and the Unfurling of Their Voices

    The figure of the young, tragic male poet has long dominated cultural narratives about artistic brilliance and early death. But what if poetic genius deepens, rather than fades, with age? In this talk given at the 2025 Harvard Horizons Symposium, Slavic languages and literatures PhD candidate and Harvard Horizons Scholar Alex Braslavsky explores the creative power of poets in their advanced age in her project, "Embracing Twilight: Older Women Poets and the Unfurling of Their Voices". Focusing on three radical women writers, Braslavsky examines how aging can become a source of artistic innovation, personal transformation, and visionary insight. Drawing on archival research and a deep connection to Slavic literary traditions, her work challenges dominant cultural myths of decline and illuminates the enduring power of late-life creativity.

    7 min
  5. Pitfalls of Anthropomorphism: Misunderstanding AI’s Potential

    21 JUL

    Pitfalls of Anthropomorphism: Misunderstanding AI’s Potential

    Raphaël Raux's 2025 Harvard Horizon project, "Human Learning about AI," conducted in collaboration with fellow PhD student Bnaya Dreyfuss, explores how people often assume AI thinks like a human, which can lead to confusion about what these systems can and can’t do. As a PhD candidate in economics at Harvard, Raux studies the complex relationship between how humans think and how artificial intelligence works. His research challenges common assumptions about AI and encourages a clearer, more realistic understanding of the technology. In his April 2025 talk at the annual Harvard Horizons Symposium, Raux shared insights from his work, which he hopes will support smarter decisions about how we use AI and help guide its development in ways that benefit both the economy and society.

    8 min
  6. Law versus Democracy: Why Courts Defend or Undermine Democracy in Israel, Turkey, and Beyond

    3 JUL

    Law versus Democracy: Why Courts Defend or Undermine Democracy in Israel, Turkey, and Beyond

    As a PhD candidate in government at Harvard's Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2025 Harvard Horizons Scholar Andrew O'Donohue explores the complexities of democratic resilience in his project, "Law versus Democracy: Why Courts Defend or Undermine Democracy in Turkey, Israel, and Beyond." His research delves into the varying roles that courts play in either protecting or eroding democratic systems, drawing insights from compelling case studies in Turkey and Israel.

    10 min
  7. Sappho Lost and Found: Reading Sappho in the Renaissance

    20 JUN

    Sappho Lost and Found: Reading Sappho in the Renaissance

    2025 Harvard Horizons Scholar Katherine Horgan explores the legacy of the ancient Greek poet Sappho in her project, "Living Sappho: Imitation, Imagination, and Revivification in Early Modern England." A PhD student in English at Harvard's Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Horgan delves into the complex interplay between Sappho’s textual and biographical traditions, exploring how artists and writers have continuously reimagined and celebrated Sappho over millennia. Horgan’s research argues for the transformative power of Sappho’s work throughout literary history. By illuminating the rich afterlife of Sappho's poetry and persona, Horgan not only contributes to the recovery of marginalized voices but also invites contemporary readers to engage with Sappho as a site of playful exploration and enduring inspiration.

    9 min
  8. How Your Neighbors Shape Your Politics

    6 JUN

    How Your Neighbors Shape Your Politics

    We hate each other more than we used to, at least where politics is concerned. Measures of effective polarization, the animosity that Democrats have for Republicans and vice versa, have increased dramatically since the 1990s, according to a 2021 study by political scientists James Druckman and Jeremy Levy. Moreover, the most polarized folks are the ones most likely to vote in primaries, resulting in more extreme general election candidates, which further polarize voters, and so on.  Boston University professor Jacob Brown, PhD ’22 says that where we live shapes the political party we join and the candidates we vote for. The places we grow up shape our views and social pressure influences our affiliations. Moreover, when we change neighborhoods or our neighborhoods change around us, our party ID can change too. That fact—that our affiliations are not necessarily set in stone, but can shift as the people and places around us do—may offer some hope for the future of civic life in The United States . . . if we know what to do with it.

    27 min
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Conversations with visionary scholars and thinkers from the Harvard PhD community

Información

  • Creador
    Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
  • Años de actividad
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodios
    63
  • Clasificación
    Apto
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    Colloquy

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