CIIS Public Programs

Comedian, writer, and actress Zahra Noorbakhsh is joined by CIIS faculty member Zara Zimbardo for a conversation that explores being Muslim in America today, and how to counter discrimination with comedy.

Karla Suomala, a researcher and former Professor of Religion and Mikey Siegel, a robotics engineer turned consciousness hacker, discuss the intersections of technology and spirituality.

Zen priest, author, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care Roshi Joan Halifax is joined in conversation by Brenda Salgado about death and dying, Buddhism, and social activism.

CIIS faculty Zara Zimbardo explores our enduring interest in zombies, and examines what this increasingly normalized pop culture obsession points to. This talk was part of the Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Curators from The Contemporary Jewish Museum Lily Siegel and Pierre-François talk about From Generation to Generation - Inherited Memory and Contemporary Art, on view through April 2017. They were joined by Arts at CIIS curator Deirdre Visser for a conversation. This program was created in collaboration with The Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Author and Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Christopher Bache discusses his twenty year long regimen of psychedelic exploration and therapy with CIIS Professor Sean Kelly.

Psychologist and author Eduardo Duran is joined in conversation by CIIS student Natalie Bell to discuss the legacy of historical trauma for Native American populations.

Theatre director Sean San José is joined in conversation by CIIS faculty and performance maker Erika Chong Shuch about ghosts, spirituality, and memory in performance. This event was part of the Dancing with the So Called Dead Festival, a collaboration with the MFA Program in Theatre-Performance Making and The Arts @ CIIS.

Frank Warren, the creator of the wildly popular website, PostSecret, talks about how he holds the over one million secrets he has received in the past 12 years since starting his site.

One of the leading thinkers in the emergent field of neurodiversity, CIIS faculty member Nick Walker, discusses the benefits of a more neurodiverse world. This talk was part of the Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Chicano performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña is joined by author and performer Larry Bogad for this performative conversation, GGGPS: The Guillermo Gómez-Peña Positioning System. This event was part of the Dancing with the So Called Dead Festival, a collaboration with the MFA Program in Theatre-Performance Making and The Arts @ CIIS.

CIIS Professor Meg Jordan explores some of the most compelling new ideas in health from the world of science. This talk was part of the Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Alternative medicine pioneer Deepak Chopra explores the question of how consciousness conceives and constructs the physical universe.

CIIS Professor and psychologist Alzak Amlani examines the benefits of developing the soul. This talk is part of our Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Clinical psychologist and interpersonal neurobiology expert Dr Dan Siegel is joined in conversation by Rick Hanson to take a deep dive into the mysteries of the human mind.

Author and activist Sil Lai Abrams reads from her new memoir, Black Lotus, and is joined in conversation by CIIS’s Laura Reddick.

Civil rights activist, former Black Panther leader, and educator Ericka Huggins is joined in conversation by CIIS professor and restorative justice expert Sonya Shah. This episode is presented in collaboration with Bioneers and the 2016 National Bioneers Conference.

Mycologist Paul Stamets examines how mushrooms can help the health of people and the planet.

One of the early organizers of Burning Man, Stuart Mangrum, discusses the psychogeography of the festival.

Cat Brooks of San Francisco’s Anti Police-Terror Project is joined in conversation by journalist Manolia Charlotin of The Media Consortium to discuss race, police violence, and criminal justice reform. This event was made in collaboration with public radio program Making Contact.

Peabody Award-winning author Richard Rodriguez is joined in conversation by CIIS writing professor Carolyn Cook for a discussion on writing and the writer's life.

Intergenerational trauma expert Mark Wolynn is joined in conversation by Richard Buggs, CIIS Dean of Alumni, to discuss how inherited family trauma shapes who we are and how he works with patients to end the cycle.

CIIS Professor Brian Swimme explores why trying to make sense of the universe is one of the oldest projects around and how these questions lead us to regularly reinvent what it means to be human. This talk is part of our Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Author, teacher, and ecophilosopher Joanna Macy is known the world over for her workshops for social and environmental activists. She's joined in conversation by ecophilosophy teacher Renée G. Soule to discuss her life and work.

The authors of Algorithms to Live By, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths, are joined in conversation by CIIS President Joseph Subbiondo to explore how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives. This conversation is part of our Technology and Consciousness Series.

CIIS Professor and author Carolyn Cooke explores reading and writing as important acts of consciousness. This talk is part of our Big Ideas at CIIS series.

Jerry Kaplan, a computer scientist and AI expert talks with Kal Spelletich, an artist who works with robotics about how humans might leverage this emerging technology creatively. This conversation is part of our Technology and Consciousness Series.

CIIS professor Craig Chalquist explores how myths jump out of the myth books and into our lives, inhabiting current events, our language, politics, and more.

The head of Wikipedia’s library, Jake Orlowitz, in conversation with Dr Matt Segall about how Wikipedia keeps it’s vast and complicated platform running.

American Buddhist scholar Reggie Ray on how trauma can be an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Author and hip hop journalist Jeff Chang in conversation with novelist and poet Adam Mansbach on the cultural history - and future - of race in America.

CIIS professor Michelle Glowa talks about how our food choices affect the world, and what we can do to cultivate more just and sustainable food systems.

Author and activist Sobonfu Somé on the importance of grieving and ritual.

Transgender activist and pioneer Theresa Sparks in conversation with transgender CIIS professor, Dr. Jamison Green.

Author Cheryl Strayed talks to Carolyn Cooke about her writing style, her work as Dear Sugar, and her best selling book, Wild.

The story of Jezebel Delilah X—a self professed "quirky, queer, black girl from South Central LA” and how literature and theatre saved her life. This episode includes explicit language.

Author and Professor of Psychology at CIIS, Dr. Brant Cortright, talks about his work at the cutting edge of neuroscience, clinical psychology, and brain health.

Psychologist and researcher at NYU, Doctor Tony Bossis, reviews his work as part of the recent renaissance of psychedelic research.

One of America's most provocative public intellectuals, Dr. Cornel West, whose writing weaves together the traditions of the Black Baptist Church, social justice, progressive politics, and jazz.

Physician and award winning author, Dr Gabor Mate, discusses his research at the intersection of addiction, science, psychology, and compassion