# Open Seminars ## expand\_more For many, the Weatherhead Center’s numerous seminar series are the heart of its activities. A constant stream of scholarly presenters enrich discussion and the exchange of ideas for more than 400 Center affiliates and the general public. Activities range from faculty seminars on specific research topics to presentations of thesis research by some of Harvard’s most capable undergraduates. [### Alberto Alesina Seminar on Political Economy ](/seminars/albert-alesina-seminar-political-economy) This seminar is open to the public. The Alberto Alesina Seminar on Political Economy (PE) supports research-related activities that integrate the study of economics and politics, whether by studying economic behavior in the political process or political... ![Two-toned lime green graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Alberto%20Alesina_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=Vnb6_tVO) [### Canada Seminar ](/seminars/canada)**Open Seminar /** The Canada Seminar, chaired by the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, examines Canadian social, economic, cultural, and political issues in their domestic and international dimensions. Presentations are made... ![Two-toned green graphic background with the Canada Program logo in white.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Canada.png?h=920929c4&itok=iprAHFIz) [### Comparative Politics Speaker Series ](/seminars/comparative_politics_speaker_series)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the Department of Government, this seminar serves as a forum for discussing new research in the field of comparative politics through methodologically diverse presentations on political developments in many regions. ![Two-toned green graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Comparative%20Politices%20Speaker.png?h=920929c4&itok=_Oi9glP0) [### Cultural Politics: Interdisciplinary Perspectives ](/seminars/cultural_politics)**Open Seminar /** The main focus of this seminar is on cultural politics across nations in the era of globalization and on the use of culture as a soft power strategy in international relations. Policy makers and scholars in a variety of fields explore... ![Two-toned green graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Cultural%20Politics_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=O0SKsNO8) [### Culture and Social Analysis Workshop ](/seminars/culture-and-social-analysis)**Open Seminar /** This workshop provides budding scholars of culture with an opportunity to discuss their work in progress, interact with leading researchers in the field, and think through central theoretical and methodological issues in research on culture... ![Two-toned burgundy graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Cultural%20Social%20Analysis_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=6Ls9i49r) [### Friday Morning Seminar in Culture, Psychiatry and Global Mental Health ](/seminars/global_mental_health)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and Harvard Medical School, the Friday Morning Seminar has met every year since 1984, hosting international scholars who work on sociopolitical and cultural aspects of... ![Two-toned coral graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Friday%20Morning%20Culture.png?h=920929c4&itok=QRezPtem) [### Global Political Thought ](/seminars/global_political_thought)**Open Seminar /** The Global Political Thought Seminar focuses on pluralizing and globalizing the discipline of political theory and political thought. Invited scholars interrogate these disciplines and explore the promises and the limitations of the... ![Seminar title set against duotone orange background.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-08/Seminar%20International%20Migration%20.png?h=920929c4&itok=e6Hu4XBD) [### Harvard International and Global History Seminar ](/seminars/international_history)**Open Seminar /** The Harvard International and Global History Seminar (HIGHS) is a forum for cutting-edge work in the fields of international and global history. This seminar, organized at the Department of History and generously supported by the... ![Two-toned olive graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20HIGHS.png?h=920929c4&itok=ccvtWno2) [### Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution ](/seminars/hckelman)**Open Seminar /** This seminar, planned in collaboration with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, explores conflict-resolution efforts domestically and worldwide and considers ways to strengthen the capacity to prevent, resolve, and transform... ![Two-toned teal graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Herbert%20Kelman.png?h=920929c4&itok=CduAjyiV) [### International Relations Speaker Series ](/seminars/international-relations-speaker-series)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the Department of Government, this seminar serves as a forum for discussing new research in the field of International Relations (IR). This series features methodologically diverse presentations of ongoing research from... ![Two-toned blue graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20International%20Relations%20Speaker.png?h=920929c4&itok=YVsN6OtK) [### Joint Seminar on South Asian Politics ](/seminars/joint_seminar_south_asia)**Open Seminar /** South Asia’s economic and strategic relevance has grown significantly in recent years. While scholars often note India’s economic resurgence and South Asia’s struggle with terror, the region offers much more that is of enormous intellectual... ![Two-toned purple graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Joint%20South%20Asian%20Politics.png?h=920929c4&itok=fjeCG41e) [### Middle East Seminar ](/seminars/middle_east)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies since 1975, this seminar has focused on the political, economic, and social conditions in the Middle East. Through presentations by scholars and practitioners, this seminar addresses the... ![Two-toned burgundy graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Middle%20East.png?h=920929c4&itok=PjAm_6CA) [### Political Violence Workshop ](/seminars/political_violence)**Open Seminar /** The Political Violence Workshop brings together graduate students and faculty from the Boston area who are working on issues related to political violence and international security, including revolutions, coups, civil wars, ethnic conflict... ![Two-toned olive green graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Political%20Violence_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=yE5NMW21) [### Politics and Social Change Workshop ](/seminars/politics-social-change) This seminar is open to the public. This seminar is on hiatus for the 2025–2026 academic year. This seminar explores the intersections of politics and society. Past seminar topics include the cultural impacts of social movements, political responsibility... ![Two-toned terracotta graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Politics%20and%20Social%20Change.png?h=920929c4&itok=EdWeHtuQ) [### Program on US-Japan Relations Seminar ](/seminars/us_japan)**Open Seminar /** The Program on US-Japan Relations holds a weekly hybrid seminar that is open to the University community and the general public. Speakers include leading faculty and experts from Harvard and other universities in the United States, Japan... ![Two-toned blue graphic background with US-Japan Program logo on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20US-Japan_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=LWIqv6hB) [### Science, Technology, and Society Seminar: STS Circle at Harvard ](/seminars/science_society)**Open Seminar /** The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Circle at Harvard is a weekly colloquium series fostering interdisciplinary conversations about contemporary issues in science and technology. This series engages junior and senior scholars and... ![Two-toned blue graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20STS%20Circle_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=ETGXZHVm) [### Seminar in Economic Development ](/seminars/economic_growth)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the MIT Department of Economics, this weekly lecture series covers a wide range of topics in the field. Economists based in the Boston area and at universities and institutions around the world are invited to present their... ![Two-toned green graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Economic%20Development.png?h=920929c4&itok=fm9dhjTy) [### Seminar in Economic History ](/seminars/economic_history)**Open Seminar /** In continuous operation for about seventy-five years, this seminar, cosponsored by the Department of Economics, has become a key forum for those interested in long-term economic change, economic growth, and development. Every year, the most... ![Two-toned teal graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Economic%20History_1.png?h=920929c4&itok=wuui-zXr) [### Seminar in International Economics ](/seminars/international_economics)**Open Seminar /** This seminar covers a broad spectrum of recent theoretical and empirical research on international trade, capital markets, monetary arrangements, and sovereign debt. It meets weekly and is attended by graduate students and faculty, mostly... ![Two-toned orange graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20International%20Economics.png?h=920929c4&itok=XTQlpOnK) [### Tuesday Seminar on Latin American Politics ](/seminars/latin_american_politics)**Open Seminar /** Cosponsored by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University, and the Afro-Latin American Research Institute, this seminar brings together Harvard faculty and... ![Two-toned purple graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Tuesday%20Latin%20America_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=wvJGtj1-) [### Weatherhead Research Cluster on Global History Seminar ](/seminars/wigh)**Open Seminar /** This graduate-faculty research seminar is designed to bring together interested faculty and students on a continuing basis to cover topics on global history. It is part of History 2950A/B, Approaches to Global History, and includes both... ![Crimson-colored triangles over an archival image of people working in a field.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20WRC%20Global%20History_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=ezCwzlRZ) [### Workshop in Economic Sociology ](/seminars/economic_sociology)**Open Seminar /** Meeting at MIT and Harvard in alternating weeks during the academic year, presenters and participants represent a diverse array of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. What we share is a commitment to engage the array of... ![Graphic shows seminar title against duotone green background.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-07/Workshop%20in%20Economic%20Sociology.png?h=920929c4&itok=rm7iGfs7) [### Workshop on Culture, History, and Society ](/seminars/culture_history_society)**Open Seminar /** This workshop invites graduate students and faculty in the disciplines of anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology to present work on historical topics. The primary methodological goal is to initiate a... ![Two-toned coral graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20Culture%20History%20Society.png?h=920929c4&itok=kSAxCPJ_) [### Workshop on International Migration ](/seminars/workshop-international-migration) This seminar is open to the public. The Workshop on International Migration is a powerful interdisciplinary forum for discussing international migration and immigrant incorporation. It is based on a collaboration between the Migration and Immigrant... ![Two-toned orange graphic background with the name of the seminar in white on top](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Seminar%20International%20Migration_0.png?h=920929c4&itok=oOE6N5wm)