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Complex Questions

Photo of students at the Black Lives Matter protest on campus

Black Lives Matter became a global call for action. But the organizing was very local. 

Social movements for racial justice, especially against police violence, are on the rise. 

How and why do local anti-racist movements gain traction around the globe?

A photo of a woman playing the shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese lute

The celebration of lived experiences, both those of the past and those wished for the future, is often visible in the art, literature, and communal practices of immigrants. 

What can we learn about the migration experience  from these cultural expressions?

Photo of members of the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ Hillel gathered in prayer

Why and how does anti-Semitism persist? Are hate groups increasing in number? 

As long as Jewish communities are threatened by anti-Semitic violence, their security needs must be addressed

Who is funding them? What can communities and governments do to combat anti-Semitism? 

Photo of fruits and vegetables for sale in a market.

How does what we buy impact human rights? Does power lie in the hands of the consumer - or the corporation? 

Who is driving the international black market trade of medicine and organs? 

Who is making the money? Who is paying the price?

Photo of Ken M. Ditlevson, director of the LGBT center with a rainbow flag

LGBTQ+ pride parades have evolved from declarations for freedom that entailed great personal risk to incredibly popular events with very little risk to participants. 

How does this evolution happen? 

Who leads the shift in social "norms"?

Photo of a womans studies classroom

Why are some countries so committed to the rights of women, while some refuse to acknowledge them? 

Why are some countries in a perpetual tug-of-war between archaic patriarchy and non-gendered human rights? 

What does it mean to be "feminist"? 

Photo of a hijabi student at the Palestine protest on campus

Genocides have been committed against many religious and ethnic people. 

How can we explain these simultaneous choices of extreme silence and extreme violence?

How have religious teachers contributed to discourse of violence of peace during war time?