At Northeastern, we are pleased to offer a rich variety of language activities both on and off campus that can support your language learning goals. These activities will enhance your language learning by providing you with opportunities to use your language and/or learn about the culture and community that you are studying.
These pages are updated regularly so please check back often.
ONGOING
Until November 15th
BOSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
The Boston Jewish Film Festival presents the best contemporary films from around the world on Jewish themes at its annual Festival and throughout the year. Through features, shorts, documentaries, and conversations with visiting artists, the Festival explores Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of Jewish culture in relation to a diverse modern world.
SACRED MONSTERS: EVERYDAY ANIMISM IN CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE ART AND ANIME
Participating Artists: Chiho Aoshima / Nobuhiro Ishihara / Kenjiro Kitade / Mahomi Kunikata / Tomokazu Matsuyama / Mr. / Oscar Oiwa / TOKYO KAMEN
This exhibition examines representations of mythical spirits, gods, monsters, and other mutant, sentient beings in contemporary Japanese art and film as expressions of animist belief through the work of eight emerging and mid-career artists. The theme is also explored through a complementary program of continuous anime screenings presented in the Gallery.
Many contemporary Japanese visual artists and animators incorporate animist beliefs in their work as cultural rather than religious expression. A shared iconography connects the artists and anime included in this exhibition, ranging from kami (gods) to yokai (monsters), sentient and non-sentient beings with supernatural powers, and hybrid mythical creatures. These traditionally Japanese representations - visible, tangible, and ubiquitous - actively dissolve boundaries between the living and the dead, the human and non-human realms.
Tufts University Art Gallery @ the Aidekman Arts Center
Get ready for our 2nd annual national karaoke contest for Chinese language students and teachers
Based on popular demand, Cheng & Tsui SuperStar is back for a second season and sure to promote language learning, creativity, and fun!
Entries accepted between October 12 to November 22, 2009. All video submissions must be in Chinese with accompanying lyrics and will be judged on creativity, pronunciation, singing ability, and—of course—star power. First and second place will be given to the best solo and group performances. Winners will get to choose from a variety o f prizes including an iPod nano, Xbox 360, and more.
Visit www.cheng-tsui.com/superstar to read the official rules, post your video, and enter the contest. The rules and requirements have changed since our last contest so be sure to read them carefully!
Until December 5th, 2009
Mary McFadden: GODDESSES
Internationally renowned fashion designer Mary McFadden has developed a pantheon of artistic creations for the adornment of the feminine form. McFadden’s distinctive garments reflect an avid study of ancient cultures of the Near East, Africa, Classical Greek, Javanese, Pre-Columbian, Dynastic Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. With a sensitivity to color, harmony, and proportion, McFadden builds from a foundation of pure, timeless silhouettes and luxurious fabrics.
Sandra and David Bakalar Gallery Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA Free and open to the public.
The Boston Latino International Film Festival is gearing up for its 8th year and is slightly changing the format this year by presenting 2 weekends in November feature films, documentaries and shorts showcasing Latino issues, culture and community. Screenings will be hosted at venues in East Boston, Boston and Cambridge.
Honoré Daumier (18098-1879) lived through one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France and he captured much of that turbulence in his artwork during his prolific career. His lithographs elicit a response from viewers more than 130 years after they were created. The exhibit includes a selection of his works, many of which are a part of the Library’s Maroni Collection.
Selections from Yoshitoshi's New Forms of 36 Ghosts and other Japanese Woodblock Prints
The Tufts University Art Gallery is delighted to present a selection of 10 images from New Forms of 36 Ghosts (Shinkei Sanjurokuten), a famous series of woodblock prints published between 1889 and 1892 by Taiso Yoshitoshi (Japanese, 1839-1892) this fall in the Harry Remis Sculpture Court, concurrently with Sacred Monsters: Everyday Animism in Contemporary Japanese Art and Anime in the Tisch Family Gallery.
Tufts University Art Gallery Remis Sculpture Court 40 Talbot Ave Medford, MA 02155
The New England Gallery of Latin American Art presents " Noche de Gloria" in commemorating the Mexican traditional celebration of el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration of life and beyond.
From talking drums first used in Africa centuries ago to the tunes piped through our headphones today, music is a central part of our being, and it's a trait we share with all of nature. With Wild Music, explore sounds from the natural world, like bird songs, whale cries, and insect rasps. Discover what they have in common with our own compositions-both intended, as with a Mozart symphony, and incidental, as on a busy city street. This is a highly interactive exhibit that allows visitors to expand their understanding of what makes music.
Wild Music: Sounds and Songs of Life is a production of the Science Museum of Minnesota, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. Major funding comes from the National Science Foundation, with additional support from Harman International Industries, Inc. and NEC Foundation of America.
The art of Taro Shinoda engages themes of science, philosophy, and desire, and investigates our place in the universe. During his month-long residency in Boston in the spring of 2007, Shinoda was inspired by the moonlight in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum courtyard to develop his project, Lunar Reflection Transmission Technique…
The exhibition will include film shots from Tokyo, Istanbul, and Limerick, in addition to Boston, a sound installation, and an engawa-a Japanese viewing platform that traditionally separates the domestic space from the garden. From this vantage point, visitors may sit and meditate on their place in the universe as they watch Shinoda's extraordinary films of the moon and mysterious night landscapes.
TOUCH FIRE: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists
Touch Fire is composed of over 90 vibrant and dynamic ceramic sculptures by leading contemporary Japanese women artists working within and transforming a medium traditionally associated with men.
Although women have played a central role in ceramic production in Japan for centuries, they have worked as studio ceramic artists only since the 1950s. Rather than training in the traditionally male-dominated apprentice system, most attended art school, where they were exposed to and influenced by a wide range of contemporary artistic movements in both Japan and the West.
Works in the exhibition are lent by an alumna of Smith College who is one of the pioneer collectors of contemporary Japanese ceramics in the West.
WHAT IS GERMAN? THE WRITERS OF PRAGUE AND VIENNA, 1890-1940
Part III of this exploration of key texts of German literature takes us to one of the most vibrant and thrilling cultural niches. Although Prague and Vienna were the capitals of two different countries, they were intimately connected for German speakers. Jewish writers, in particular moved back and forth between the two cities, developing a literature that was markedly different in its languid sensuality and suspicion of the effectiveness of language itself from the literature produced in the Prussian capital Berlin. In English.
Cinema : “Bicycle Thieves”(Vittorio de Sica, 1948)
After several years of being out of circulation, the Brattle Theatre welcomes back this classic of Italian Neorealism. Vittorio de Sica’s Academy Award winning Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biclette) defined an era of cinema.
Simple in construction and dazzlingly rich in human insight, Bicycle thieves embodies all the greatest strengths of the neo-realist movement in Italy; emotional clarity, social righteousness, and brutal honesty.Hailed around the world as one of the greatest movies ever made, the Brattle is thrilled to reintroduce Boston to this immortal work of cinematic art.
Find out Saturdays on Brookline Food Tours' three-hour culinary journey, where you'll learn how to shop for unique Russian cooking ingredients and find the best places to get a little taste of Russia in Washington Square. Saturdays at 2 p.m. Reservations required. Meet near the entrance to Whole Foods Market.
Find it out under the expert guidance while tasting authentic Jewish food - matzo ball soup, latkes, falafel, kosher wines, noodle kugel ice cream and dozen more. Hear unique anecdotes about the welcoming Brookline purveyors and savor the rich history of Jewish Brookline.
The 10th NOVA Innovation Conference is the opportunity to attend an exceptional International event that brings together European and American leaders for a debate concerning role of innovation in tough times.
The conference is designed to attract an International audience of more than 200 MBAs, PhDs and alumni from the major North American schools and foster discussion and networking.
NOVA conference 2009 theme, Relentless InNOVAtion – International perspectives at the crossroads of business technology, and public policy, will focus on the drivers and the inherent risks of innovation in both high technology and other more traditional sectors.
For more information, click on the following links:
Tufts Takht (The Arabic Music Ensemble) presents new and traditional music from across the Middle East. This event is open to the Tufts Community and to the general public, and no tickets or reservations are required.
3:00pm
at Granoff Music Center: Distler Performance Hall, Medford, MA
THE BOSTON LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL “Di me que yo” Mateo Gil/ Spain/ Short “El Regalo de la Pachamama” Toshifumi Matsushita / 102min / Bolivia, Japan / Feature Narrative
BEPPE SEVERGNINI – “ITALIANS AS AN EXAMPLE OF BRAIN DRAIN AND CIRCULATION IN EUROPE. HOW TYPICAL?”
Beppe Severgnini has been writing for the “Corriere della Sera” since 1995 and since 1998 he has been moderating the online forum “Italians” (www.corriere.it/italians), the subject of his most recent book: Italians. Il giro del mondo in 80 pizze [Italians. Around the World
in 80 Pizzas] (Rizzoli 2008).
He was a contributor and a correspondent for “The Economist” (1993-2003) and in Brussels he was voted “European Journalist of the Year 2004”. Since 2007, his journalism has been distributed by the New York Times Syndicate. While “embedded at MIT”, the renowned author and journalist will also deliver this public talk, all very interesting, free and open to the public!
Hosted by Minda de Gunzburg – Center for European Studies
Lower Level Conference Room - Busch Hall - Harvard University
27 Kirkland St, Cambridge - 6:00-7:00pm
November 20th
RCC SPANISH FILM SERIES - Don Quijote
Don Quijoteby Orson Welles and Jesus Franco (1992, in Spanish with English subtitles)
Works of Art by Students and Faculty of the MassArt Program of Study in Italy 1998-2009.
As part of the initiative “Esponi in consolato!” students and faculty of the MAssArt Program Study in Italy 1998-2009 will present their works of art created and inspired by their stays in Italy.
Opening Reception: Friday Nov. 20, 6:00-8:00PM
The exhibition will continue through Jan. 18, 2010.
Mr. Masataka Hata, President of the Shoyeido Incense company of Kyoto will present an evening devoted to the lore of traditional Japanese incense appreciation. Shoyeido began in Kyoto in 1705. Rokubei Moritsune Hata began incorporating methods he learned while working at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. He applied the court's secret traditions of blending incense, previously enjoyed only by royalty, to commercial production.
Twelve generations later, Masataka Hata continues this legacy, and Shoyeido today offers customers a wide variety of high quality, unique, hand-blended incense. Mr. Hata will be joined in this program by Hachiya Sohitsu, the young master of the Shino School of Incense Appreciation. The program will be in two parts: first, participants will engage in the classic incense game known as "kumiko" or "genji-ko," a favorite pastime of courtiers, as depicted in The Tale of Genji. The incense game will take place in Showa Boston's beautiful Sanzashi-an tea-ceremony rooms. A more perfect setting for experiencing incense as it was known to Prince Genji and Lady Murasaki does not exist in New England. Part two will be a brief workshop in making Japanese incense sachets.
LE MARCHÉ DE NOËL: Holiday gifts with a French Flair
Inspired by the traditional French Christmas markets, we invite you to stroll through our holiday gifts fair while enjoying a warm glass of cider or mulled wine.
Luxury items, candles, culinary treats, interior decorations, linens, stationary, children’s and adults’ fashion and more will be available from the merchants dedicated to bringing the essence of France to Boston. With over 500 visitors, last year’s Marché de Noël was a tremendous success, the 2009 edition promises to be even more exciting.
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
53 Marlborough St., Boston, MA02116, 617.912.0400
December 7th
LA TABLE FRANÇAISE: Discover French Gastronomy and practice your French.
Join us at Petit Robert Bistro, Kenmore Square every month to share French cuisine and converse in French. Chef Jacky Robert proposes a $50 Prix Fixe Menu highlighting a particular region’s gastronomy. We help you with your French, if you wish. This event is presented in English and French.
This emotional documentary follows a group of teenagers in Brazil from different socio-economic backgrounds as they confront the challenges of being in school. In a series of very intimate interviews, rich and poor 14-17 year-old students from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco open their hearts revealing contradictory emotions concerning prejudice, violence, anxiety, hope and love.
More than the sum of its parts, Pro Dia Nascer Feliz is an in depth analysis of the challenges to education in Brazil. As the focal point in the film, the school brings together students, parents, teachers as well as representatives of the state who are trying to make a name for themselves. But the persistence of social inequality in Brazil and ineffective public administration paints a very grim picture of the country’s future.
From Geneviève and Héloïse to Coco Chanel and Simone de Beauvoir, experience the City of Light through Paris and Her Remarkable Women by Lorraine Liscio.
Liscio presents an historical and unusual tour of Paris and brings to life medieval culture, Enlightenment ideas, the court of Louis XIV, the Revolution, and 19th and 20th century art, science, and fashion.
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
53 Marlborough St., Boston, MA02116, 617.912.0400
December 9th
A RENAISSANCE CHRISTMAS, Newbury
This rich program of rare Christmas music from the church and country-sides of Europe includes works by Dufay, Josquin, Byrd and other masters from France, Spain, Italy, England and Germany.
$16
8:00 pm First Parish Church, Newbury, Mass., 20 High Road, Newbury, Mass.
Handel's Messiah, a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed performance. Featuring conductor Martin Pearlman with the Boston Baroque orchestra and chorus. Featuring Sari Gruber, soprano; Phyllis Pancella, mezzo-soprano; Keith Jameson, tenor; Stephen Powell, bass.
7:30pm
$25-$72/person New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall 30 Gainsborough Street Boston, MA
Join Havurah on the Hill for a lay-led, non-denominational Kabbalat Shabbat service in Vilna Shul’s historic sanctuary. After the service we will hear from a guest speaker (TBD) and then enjoy a kosher buffet style dinner.
