All upcoming International Culture programs

Tour guide and author Christopher Skutela leads you off the beaten path in Krakow, revealing sites where tourists don’t tend to go. Explore historic neighborhoods, one of the hidden health resorts in Poland, and a former socialist utopia district. Then get a breath of fresh air at Kosciuszko Mound and Bielany Hermitage and Woods.

Starting in the 15th century, many European nations competed to acquire pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices from Asia, as well as porcelain, silk, tea, and more. In this quest to obtain goods from abroad, these countries built empires, established colonies, and left virtually no corner of the globe untouched. Former foreign correspondent Adam Tanner examines why this historic Western focus on Asia is essential to understanding our world today.

Film historian Max Alvarez surveys the turbulent film history of China via the brilliant and beautiful collaborations of Fifth Generation filmmaker Zhang Yimou­, whose career emerged in the wake of the Cultural Revolution­, and the stunning actress Gong Li, whose stardom instantly began with their first powerful alliance in Red Sorghum. Her remarkable versatility reinforced Zhang’s themes of resilience in the face of hardship and helped make the director’s later works—arguably compromised by the political pressure he faced—both intoxicating and mesmerizing.

The shores of the Mediterranean offer myriad incredible wines and appellations to explore—from fresh, light reds to tantalizing, mineral-driven whites, and of course, dazzling rosés. Sommelier Erik Segelbaum invites you to sip some of these coastal wines as if you’re on the deck of your private yacht. The immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.

Filmmaker Céline Cousteau recounts the making of her documentary Tribes on the Edge, which examines the human and ecological threats faced by the Indigenous peoples of the Javari Valley reservation, located along Brazil’s Amazon border with Peru. She examines those aggressive forces—from deforestation to health crises, illegal mining to the dismantling of protections of land and human rights—and why the struggle for survival that played out in the Amazon has implications that reach across the globe.

Ever since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Smithsonian Institution has been a key player in the fight to protect Ukraine’s heritage. Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative; Hayden Bassett, a Smithsonian research associate and director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; and Amber Kerr, the head of conservation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, detail how the Smithsonian is working with Ukrainian cultural institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites, provide expert advice, detect and assess damage, and provide emergency supplies and equipment.

With so many flavors and endless possibilities, the wines of the Southern Hemisphere are particularly well equipped to pair with classic and modern holiday dishes. This delicious seminar with sommelier Erik Segelbaum explores how to select and pair wines like a professional sommelier to make every seasonal meal memorable.

Begun in 1337, the ground floor of Orsanmichele church in Florence, Italy, was originally a loggia-style market. When it was transformed, the inside was decorated with paintings of saints and the outside with statues by artists such as Donatello, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio. Today, the upper floor of Orsanmichele is a museum where all but one of the original sculptures are on display. Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this museum and its treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The boldly passionate musical and dance form of flamenco casts it spell over aficionados around the world. But new fans might find some of its distinctive features puzzling. Flamenco scholar Nancy G. Heller introduces the basic elements and vocabulary of traditional flamenco music and dance, demystifying and enhancing the experience for audiences. She also traces the innovations explored by its avant-garde performers in the 21st century.

Burgundy is one of the most complex and expansive wine regions on the planet. It is here that thousands of years of careful study of terroir have yielded an amazingly detailed and hyper-complicated classification system of wines, vines, and vineyards. Taste some exciting wines from appellations that producers see as the future of their region with sommelier Erik Segelbaum.