To accommodate changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Common Hour in the Fall semester of 2021 will remain a virtual event broadcast live via Zoom and YouTube on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Sept. 2
Common Hour Kick Off
Barbara K. Altmann, Franklin & Marshall College President

Sept. 9
Virtual Play: Toy Theatre and African American Experience in "Diamond's Dream"
Jerrell L. Henderson, Theatre Director, Puppeteer, and Professor of Performance Studies
Proposed by Rachel Anderson-Rabern

Sept. 16
Beyond Paradoxes: Efforts at Past and Present U.S. Election Reform
Elizabeth “Maggie” Penn, Professor of Political Science and Quantitative Theory and Methods at Emory University 
Proposed by Nick Baeth & Stephen Medvic

Sept. 23
The Mountains Sing: Memories & Stories of the Vietnam War
Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Author and Translator 
Proposed by Lee Matthews ‘22 & Sarah Ye

Sept. 30
Interfaith Engagement, Racial Equity, and the American Promise
Eboo Patel, Author, Educator and Interfaith Leader  
Proposed by Joe Pritchett & Gretchel Hathaway

Oct. 7
The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom
Felicia Rose Chavez, Author and Creativity and Innovation Scholar-in-Residence at Colorado College 
Proposed by Kyra Lisse ‘22 & Kabi Hartman

Oct. 14
A Comprehensive Plan for Lancaster: Working Towards a Green, Safe, and Equitable City
Douglas Smith ’09, Chief Planner, City of Lancaster  
Proposed by Tom Simpson

Oct. 21
Unflattening: Thinking in Comics
Nick Sousanis, Associate Professor of Humanities & Liberal Studies, San Francisco State University
Proposed by Annalisa Crannell

Oct. 28
Environmental Injustice in the Amazon: Chevron vs. Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador
Paul Paz y Miño,  Associate Director, Amazon Watch    
Proposed by Sarah Dawson

Nov. 4 Mueller Fellow Lecture 2021
Life with Disabilities: Journeys through Childhood, Career and Activism
Judith Heumann, Author and International Disabilities Activist
Proposed by the Mueller Committee 

Nov. 11
Lindback Award Lecture
Jennifer Morford, Professor of Chemistry, Franklin & Marshall College 

Nov. 18
Now Hour TBD