Common Hour

Common Hour is an unique and inclusive program that brings the F&M community together during the academic year, for culturally and intellectually enriching events. It is the only regularly scheduled event that unites students, faculty and staff, and the larger Lancaster community.

Spring 2026 Events

Common Hour enables the Franklin & Marshall College and Lancaster communities to gather for culturally and academically enriching events at midday on selected Thursdays during the academic year. This opportunity to engage in a campus-wide dialogue originates with Common Hour and then extends beyond the confines of that time into classrooms, house commons, dining halls and beyond. These are vital international, national, local and institutional issues that are relevant to all.

Thursday, Jan. 29 
The Science of Creativity 
Sunita Kramer, PhD (F&M's Provost & Dean of the Faculty)
Supported by the F&M Alumni Association Board of Directors

Thursday, Feb. 26
The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic
Manisha Sinha, PhD (James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut)
Supported by the Mueller Fellow Committee and Reckoning with Lancaster

Thursday, Mar. 12
Under Surveillance: Women’s Bodies and the Rules of Sport 
Jaime Schultz, PhD (Professor of Kinesiology at Penn State University, History and Philosophy of Sport program)
Sponsored by the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; Public Affairs Lecture Fund; Department of History; Department of American Studies

Thursday, Mar. 26 
Green Compute AI
Panel of F&M professors and students: Profs. Patrick Fleming, John Modern, and Willie Wilson; and Zaeem Zia '26
Sponsored by the Department of Computer Science; Department of Economics; Department of Religious Studies

Fall 2025 Events

September 11, 11:30 a.m.
Lisa Bonchek Adams Auditorium in Kaufman Hall
Leading at F&M
F&M President Andrew Rich and Diplomatic Congress President Caroline Riegel ’26
Watch video

September 25, 11:30 a.m.
Lisa Bonchek Adams Auditorium in Kaufman Hall
When Math Moves: The Intersection of Motion, Machines and Creativity
Mili Shah, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Mathematics at the Cooper Union
Proposed by: Annalisa Crannell, Carmie L. and Beatrice J. Creitz Emerita Professor of Mathematics
Sponsors: Computer Science, Mathematics, Pre-Engineering Advising, Instructional and Emerging Technologies, the National Science Foundation
Watch video

October 23, 11:30 a.m.
Lisa Bonchek Adams Auditorium in Kaufman Hall
Hooking Up: Carefree Sex or Sex without Care?
Lisa Wade, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College, Sociologist, and Author of author of American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus
Proposed by: Carey Faulkner, Associate Professor of Sociology
Sponsors:
Office of Student Wellness Education & Violence Prevention
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program
Department of Sociology
Alice Drum Women’s Center
It's On Us F&M Grant
Watch video

Watch Online

Can't make it to Common Hour in person? We record some of our Common Hour events and make them available for you to watch whenever you're able.

View Events from 2024-25 »