University of Richmond School of Arts & Sciences to Host Free Webinar Series in Response to COVID-19 and Race Relations

September 11, 2020

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — The University of Richmond’s School of Arts & Sciences will host a webinar series throughout the 2020-21 academic year that aims to foster conversations in response to COVID-19 and racism. 

The series, which is free and open to the public, features conversations between guest speakers and faculty members in the School of Arts & Sciences around various topics from free speech and protest, to the historical context of COVID-19.

“As a nation, we are really dealing with two pandemics — COVID-19 and racism,” said Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “This series is one of our community’s many ways that we will process current events together.”

Upcoming events include:

Free Speech and Protest | Wed. Sept. 23, 7 p.m.
A conversation with Michael Signer, former mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, from 2016–2018 during the Unite the Right rally of 2017. Moderated by Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences.

Academic Disciplines: What Stays or Goes | Wed. Oct. 14, 7 p.m.
A conversation with distinguished leaders in higher education Joy Connolly and Andrew Delbanco. Moderated by Nathan Snaza, UR’s director of the Bridge to Success Program and women, gender, and sexuality studies advisory board member.

Exact dates are still being determined, but additional conversations slated for the academic year include:

COVID-19 in Historical Context | November 2020
A conversation with Frank Snowden, a professor of history and history of medicine at Yale University. Moderated by English professor Elizabeth Outka.

“Diversity”: Helping or Harming Us? | February 2021
A conversation with Natasha Warikoo, sociology professor at Tufts University. Moderated by LaDelle McWhorter, Stephanie Bennett-Smith Chair in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Bedelia Richards, associate professor of sociology.

For a full list of events and registration details, visit http://bit.ly/UR-AS-WebinarSeries.

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