Full Program: We welcome you to the Morningside campus on three Saturdays, 4/20, 5/18, and 6/22. We begin each day with breakfast, where you can network and connect with fellow alumnae participants. You will then go to your morning breakout session, followed by a networking lunch. After lunch, attend your afternoon breakout session. On 4/20 and 6/22, we have planned events after your afternoon breakout session. An afternoon tea on April 20 and "The Practitioners" moderated plenary on June 22.

The full schedule for each Saturday can be found here. 

Partial Program: We offer the option of attending for individual Saturdays. 

Please reach out to barnardnext@barnard.edu if you have any further questions.

We have a full Schedule of Events online here.

Full, all-inclusive program: We certainly hope you can join us on-campus each Saturday! We understand that you may not be able to attend due to unforeseen or planned circumstances. We will be offering the program virtually, so you may consider joining online. There would not be any discounts for partial attendance.

Partial Program: Participants have the option of registering for an individual Saturday with full access to meals, plenaries (if scheduled), and two breakout sessions.

This Explorers Series is just the beginning. We will be offering the Explorers Series each semester with sessions on weekdays, weekends, and at various times of the day.

We are in the process of developing another Barnard|Next Program called Enrichers. Enrichers participants enroll in a 6-session course to delve deeply into a topic. In-person and virtual sessions are planned, as well as high-level access to bespoke events, private collections, and galleries. Like the Explorers Series, the Enrichers Program will be led by both senior members of Barnard faculty and experts in their field.

We appreciate your interest in the Explorers Series, Spring 2024 Program. The Explorers Series is open to:

• Current Barnard students and their family (Up to 2 additional participants per student)
• Former Barnard students and their family or friends (Up to 2 additional participants per alumna)
• Current Barnard Faculty and Staff

Please use the online registration form, which you can access here.

The Explorers Series will be offered in-person on Barnard's Campus.

Participants who are unable to attend in person may wish to register for the virtual series. We will broadcast plenaries and breakout sessions via Zoom. Zoom recordings for virtual participants will be available by the Wednesday following the sessions. Only plenaries and lectures during the breakout sessions will be recorded, not discussions.

Attend in person at Barnard:

$  750        Alumna (*Young alumna discounts are available for Classes of 2019-2023. Use code Young_Alum_250_Discount at checkout.)
$1000        Family & Friend of Alumna/Current Student

Virtual Option (Live online access to two session topics and plenaries)

$  650         Alumna (*Young alumna discounts are available for Classes of 2019-2023. Use code Young_Alum_250_Discount at checkout.)
$  900        Family & Friend of Alumna/Current Student

Choose one Saturday (virtual or in-person): Partial Program

$  250

The program fee includes all-inclusive access to all events:

• Plenary sessions: A Conversation Opening Plenary and The Practitioners Closing Panel 
• Participation in two topic sessions of your choice (2 per Saturday; total of 6 lectures)
• Networking breakfasts (3)
• Networking lunches (3)
• An afternoon tea

Barnard College's current and former students can provide access to up to two (2) friends/family to participate in the Explorers Series. On the Registration Form, please indicate the name of the referring Barnard affiliate. That is all you would need to proceed with your registration.

Of course, please complete this Registration Form and indicate that you are faculty/staff of Barnard College.

Yes! Barnard|Next is open to friends and family of current and former Barnard students, including men.

Registration/Payment Deadline: April 10

Request for Funding Deadline: March 13 (Subject to availability, for Barnard graduates from Classes of 2019-2023)

Payment Deadline: Pay in as many installments until the final payment deadline of April 10

Withdrawals: Please email barnardnext@barnard.edu for a refund form. Your refund will be calculated upon receipt of your request for a refund.

• 100% refund: on/before April 3
• 50% refund: April 4 - April 14
• No refund: on/after April 15

Barnard College provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you need individual disability-related accommodations for this event in order to be able to attend, we encourage you to inform us in advance in order for us to accommodate you. Possible accommodations can include real-time captioning, ASL interpretation, Braille handouts, wheelchair accessibility and more. Specific individual requests can be made via our event registration form/ RSVP form or by filling out the Event Accessibility Request Form.

The structure will depend on your faculty leader’s teaching style, but all sessions have been designed to expose you to a current topic from an academic perspective, to inspire further exploration of the subject, and growth in your knowledge. All encourage active listening and respectful dialog in the sessions and networking events as you learn in community. We encourage active participation, the sharing of ideas, professional experience,  and personal experiences on the topic.

Prior to each Saturday, participants should access articles, readings, videos using Barnard College's course management system, Courseworks. You will gain access to Courseworks once you register. Use this platform to interact with participants between Series Saturdays and to communicate with faculty leading the Series.

There is no written homework but participants should complete the readings as they will be the basis of the breakout sessions and will contribute to meaningful participation and exposure to the topic.

About Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science

Faculty Leaders: Smaranda Muresan, John Morrison, and Kate Turetsky

Explore the pioneering science of artificial intelligence and its intersection with human cognition in this three-part series. First, we will examine the capabilities. limitations, and future directions of contemporary AI models like ChatGPT. Next, we investigate how the inner workings of AI are both like and unlike the human brain, and the extent to which we can attribute genuinely human-like abilities to AI models. Finally, we delve into the evolving psychology of human-AI interactions, and how our social and moral perceptions of AI shape our engagement with this new technology. This interdisciplinary series provides insight into the cross-cutting research shaping our understanding of AI, its role in our lives, and even what it means to be human. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the current state of AI and the intriguing possibilities that lie ahead.

Please visit this page for detailed information on the Breakout Sessions.

About Democracy & the 2024 American Elections

Faculty Leaders: Michael Miller, Paula Franzese, and Alex Cooley

In a pivotal election year for the United States of America, what are the key issues, and who are the key players to understand? This Series will first focus on the effect of social media on a divided electorate. Next, we will discuss the delegitimization of the media and the lure of authoritarianism. Last, delve into the perceptions and interests of the international community on the U.S. elections.

Please visit this page for detailed information on the Breakout Sessions.

About The Vitality of the Humanities

Faculty Leaders: Anne Higonnet, Rachel Eisendrath, and Monical Miller

Explore the vital role of the humanities in understanding the intricate relationship between human beings and their surrounding world in this three-part series. First, discover how individuals construct various social identities through the creation of "second skins" — interfaces that bridge their bodies with the environment. Next, delve into one of Shakespeare’s timeless literary works, “Hamlet”, as we examine what thinking in Hamlet is really like: imbued with sociality, animated by feeling, and embedded in life. Last,  we will consider the role of Africa and slavery, patronage, primitivism, and popular culture in New Negro expression in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s. This interdisciplinary series provides a comprehensive framework for examining the human experience guided by the wisdom and enduring relevance of the humanities.

Please visit this page for detailed information on the Breakout Sessions.

We are offering three topics as part of the Explorers Series during the Spring 2024 Session. Participants select two (2) topics to delve into during each of the Saturday breakout sessions. Attend your first topic during the morning breakout sessions. Attend your second topic during the afternoon breakout sessions. The lectures are the same and will be led by the same faculty member.

You make your topic selections on the Registration Form. Advance selection of your topics allows Barnard College to plan and to make sure that the classrooms assigned for each breakout session have sufficient space for all.