Each semester, Oldenborg collaborates with faculty and invites noted scholars, writers, activists, and professionals to speak on topics of cultural and international interest.
OLCs are held on Fridays from 12:15-1:15 PM in Frank Blue Room (unless otherwise noted). Available Friday dates vary each semester and are scheduled when classes are in session.
For availability 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.
7C Faculty / Staff Reminder: Please be sure to have your college ID with you each time you attend an OLC.
Non-7C Community Members: Please purchase an Oldenborg Language Table Ticket in advance at Café 47.
Upcoming Events
October 23, 2026
Against Erasure: Afrodescendant Memory Work as Resistance in Latin America and the Caribbean
Ruth Pión, Dominican Decolonial Feminist Scholar and Activist
Co-sponsored with The Draper Fund for Latin American Studies, The Caribbean Professional Development Network, and Gender and Women's Studies
October 30, 2026
Opening Doors to France: Education, Exchange, and Career Pathways
Bulent Inan, Attaché for Higher Education and French Language at the French Consulate
November 13, 2026
2026 Oldenborg Summer Grant Recipients
Andrew Shelton, PO’ 27’, Caroline Peyser, PO’ 28’, Corinne Blaise, PO’ 28’, and Jessica Zhang, PO’ 29’
November 20, 2026
Oldenborg Cinema: Short Films and Comic Sketches
Oldenborg Conversation Class Students & Language Residents
Co-sponsored with the Foreign Language Resource Center at Pomona College
December 4, 2026
AI in Academia
Feng Xiao, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Literatures; Oldenborg Faculty Fellow
April 30, 2027
LR Conversation Class Projects
TBD
Past Events
October 9, 2026
(special location: Dom's Lounge at Smith Campus Center)
28 Years, Eight Countries and Four Key Qualities: A Sagehen’s Diplomatic Journey
Eric Kneedler ’95, former United States Ambassador to Rwanda
April 28, 2026
Conversation Courses: A Roundtable with the Language Residents
Co-sponsored with the Foreign Language Resource Center at Pomona College
April 23, 2026
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 21, 2026
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 7, 2026
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 3, 2026
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 1, 2026
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
March 31, 2026
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
March 26, 2026
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 10, 2026
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 9, 2026
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
February 24, 2026
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
February 10, 2026
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
Access on E. Bonita Ave., across from Wig Hall