2019-2020 Global Grants Events and Projects
Hailing Cesar
Professor John Quevedo, Math
September 26, 2019: Screening of documentary, "Hailing Cesar", followed by a Q and A with Eduardo Chavez, grandson of Cesar Chavez. The film describes his experience of learning more about his iconic grandfather. The film reflects on the lifelong efforts by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to unionize farmworkers to demand justice for workers' rights, civil rights, and immigrant rights.
Green Screen Film Series
Professor Sheila Laffey, Film Studies
This informative series of film screenings and panel discussions included three films centered on environmental and sustainability issues.
September 23, 2019: A screening of The Earthing followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with the film producers, Josh and Rebecca Tickell.
October 7, 2019: A screening of Bringing It Home followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with the Professor Sheila Laffey, Film Studies.
October 28, 2019: A screening of Free Willy followed by discussion and audience Q & A with producers, Jenny Tugend and Lauren Donner.
March 2, 2020: A screening of Into the Wild followed by a discussio and audience Q & A with Actor Emile Hirsch.
2018-2019 Global Grant Events and Projects
Sustainability at SMC: Developing Our Green Pride
Professor Poliana Raymer, Life Sciences
SMC has many reasons to be proud of its sustainability initiatives. This grant proposed by the Environmental Affairs Committee funded signage throughout the campus to highlight some of the sustainability projects that have been completed. The signage helps make students aware of the existence of these following exemplary projects:
Central Plant:
Below this building is a system that chills liquid glycol which is used to chill water used as a refrigerant in air conditioners around campus.
Cistern:
Below this grass is a cistern that traps up to 75,000 gallons of water. This trapped water is slowly returned to the aquifer through natural filtration to replenish groundwater.
Organic Learning Garden:
The Organic Learning Garden allows students to grow their own food and understand food systems.
Solar Water Heaters:
On the roof of the CORE Performance Center, water is heated by the sun for showers.
Solar Panels:
On top of parking lots 3 & 4 are solar panels that produce electricity saving SMC over $100,000 per year.
Worm Composting:
Behind the cafeteria, over 400,000 worms eat through 250-300 lbs of food scraps each week transforming the food into nutrient-rich soil for SMC campus plants.
Global Motion Dance Costumes
Professor Sri Susilowati, Dance
This grant funded the design and manufacture of costumes for SMC's Global Motion Dance Company that were used in performances on The Broad Stage and other venues. Global Motion has always been a partner with SMC Global Citizenship and has provided free performances at Global Citizenship events such as IEW week student activities.
Green Screen Series
Professor Sheila Laffey, Film Studies
This informative series of film screenings and panel discussions included three films centered on environmental and sustainability issues.
Tuesday, September 25th: A screening of Vanishing of the Bees was followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with co-director/producer/cinematographer, George Langworthy. This film examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between humanity and mother earth.
Tuesday, October 16th: A screening of Erin Brockovich was followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with the film's producers, Carla and Michael Shamberg, on the making of the film and how Ms. Brockovich continues to be an activist in the fight against water contamination and other environmental issues.
Tuesday, November 13th: A screening of Rock the Boat: Saving America's Wildest River, a unique documentary on the LA River which uses river images, insightful interviews, and humor to examine the challenges society faces providing clean water to urban populations. A discussion and audience Q & A with Award-winning director/producer Thea Mercouffer and kayaker George Wolfe followed the screening.
Thursday, March 7th: A screening of The Last Stand: Heroes of the Ballona Wetlands was following by a discussion with co-director, Sheila Laffey and the SMC Eco Action Club. This film examines the preservation of the Ballona Wetlands not far from SMC.
Thursday, April 4th: A screening of Straws was followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with the SMC Plastic Free Club. This film that examines the problems caused by plastic pollution.
Thursday, April 25th: A screening of Evolution of Organic was followed by a discussion and Q & A with the SMC Grow Club. This film is a documentary about the rise of organic agriculture.
Thursday, May 16th: A screening of Nourish: Food + Community was followed by a discussion and audience Q & A with the SMC Grow Club. This film traces mankind's relationship to food from a global perspective.
The Beauty of Korean Calligraphy
Professor Jihyeon Cha, Modern Languages
October 16, 2018
Hangul is the Korean alphabet system of beautiful characters that is registered as a UNESCO Memory of World Heritage. In Korea, October 9th is Korean Alphabet Day aka Hangul Day. In an October 16th workshop, over 100 students, interested family members, and the local community had a hands-on experience of writing Korean characters using the traditional tools and ink as they learned about Korean culture, language, and customs. Each participant took home a souvenir of his or her name written in Hangul by a professional Korean Calligrapher. The Korean American Calligraphy Association provided the instructors.
Crafting Social Justice
Professor Brianna Simmons, Art
September 25, 2018
Artist Jennifer Gutierrez Morgan presented a workshop for students on the making of Milagros, Mexican tin charms. Besides their unique beauty, these charms are also used to address social issues such as migration and labor. Students considered how object making and activism intersect and can lead to dialogues and solutions about issues of social justice. Then each student designed and created their own Milagro.
17th Annual SMC Literary Series
Professor Hari Vishwanadha, English
Tuesday, September 18th: "The Luminous Heart of Jonah S." - A reading by Gina Nahai Iranian-American author, Gina Nahai, is a bestselling author, columnist, and emeritus professor of Creative Writing at USC whose novels have been translated into eighteen languages and have won numerous awards.
Thursday, November 1st: "Multiculturalism and Feminist Struggles: a discussion with Mari Naomi on her graphic memoir, "Turning Japanese" Mari Naomi is an award-winning Japanese-American graphic novelist and artist whose comics and paintings have been displayed in such institutions as the Smithsonian and the Japanese American Museum.
Wednesday, March 27th: A Student of History - A reading by Nina Revoyr
The novels of Japanese-American author, Nina Revoyr, are centered on the people and
neighborhoods of Los Angeles that are often left out of mainstream stories.
Tuesday, April 23rd: A discussion with Maja Mataric
Maja Mataric is a Serbian-American author, computer scientist and co-director of the
Robotics Research Lab at USC. She spoke about the social and ethical implications
of the use of robots in society.
Art Attack: Live at SMC
Professor Elizabeth Dastin, Art
February 21, 2019
A session of the art and history themed podcast Art Attack was presented by artist Justin Bua and Professor Lizy Dastin. Art Attack is a live discussion centered on topical and historical art world happenings and the intersection of public art and activism.
2017-2018 Global Grant Events and Projects
Spring 2018 Internship and Volunteer Fair
Lisa Moss, Senior Career Services Advisor/Internship Coordinator, Career Services
Center
May 22, 2018
The theme for this year's fair was Take the Leap. Over 80+ employers including many from international organizations were given the opportunity to visit SMC and meet our outstanding students and to recruit SMC students as interns/volunteers for their organizations.
STEM Family Festival
Professor Jennifer Hsieh, Physical Science
April 21, 2018
The SMC Chemistry Club hosted a one day Family STEM Festival for community participants ages preschool to high school to celebrate Earth Day. There were workshops, experiments, Planetarium shows, and games.
Forest Kindergartens
Professor Catherine Miller, Early Childhood Education
April 6, 2018
Rikke Rosengren gave a presentation on Danish forest kindergartens. In addition to describing the philosophy behind this active, outdoor-oriented model of early childhood education, Rosengren discussed her own experiences as owner-director of the Børneøen Bonsai school located on the rural outskirts of Copenhagen.
Fighting for International Human Rights through the US Courts
Professor Carol Davis, English
March 29, 2018
Catherine Sweetser, Co-Director, International Human Rights Clinic, UCI School of Law, spoke about the fight for international human rights through the US courts and discussed some of her cases including those pertaining to corporations engaged in human trafficking and the CIA's torture program in the War on Terror.
Victoria Chang: Poetry Reading
Professor Hari Vishwanadha, English
March 22, 2018
Chinese-American poet, Victoria Chang read from her latest book of poems which celebrates the intersection and interaction of diverse cultural traditions across international boundaries.
Afghan Rumor Bazaar
Professor Hari Vishwanadha, English
November 30, 2017
Author Nushin Arbabzabah spoke at an event about her book, Afghan Rumor Bazaar: Secret Sub-cultures, Hidden Worlds, and the Everyday Life of the Absurd. The book is a study of new media and youth cultures of contemporary Afghanistan.
Documenting Endangered Languages
Professor Janet Harclerode, ESL
November 14, 2017
Robert Williams, documentary linguist, and professor of linguistics at the American University in Cairo spoke about his work documenting Uncunwee, an endangered language spoken in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan and in refugee communities in North Khartoum, Sudan, and Cairo. Egypt.
Finding Your Voice
Professor Delphine Broccard, Communications
November 16, 2017
Award-winning poet, writer, performer, educator, and speaker Denice Frohman performed a variety of poetic pieces and spoke with students about the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality and the "in-betweenness" that exists in us all.
Revolution: Art for a New World
Professor Walter Meyer, Art and Art History
Oct 19, 2017
October marks the 100 year anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The avante-garde arts associated with the revolution were initially attached to the revolutionary fervor prior to being purged and exiled. This event included a screening of Art for a New World, a new film about the revolution in art that happened in conjunction with the Russian revolution.
Identity/Politics: Artists, Scholars, and Activists in Conversation with the S MC Community
Professor Meghan Chandler, Art
Oct 12, 2017
This interdisciplinary, one-day symposium included a diverse set of artists, scholars, and activists in conversation with the SMC community. Through short, spotlight presentations, the speakers explored their concept-driven works. Speakers included: Chinese born artist Tian Wei, who uses calligraphy, iconography and western art to forge alliances between polar opposites, Michelle Maydanchik, an investigator of themes of identity in digital media and propaganda, Nadja Millner-Larsen, lecturer on the relationship between Black identity and the arts, and artist Maggie West, whose art explores gender and identity while mobilizing political engagement.
2016-2017 Global Grant Events and Projects
SMC Student Farmers Market
Veronica Casillas, Counselor
SMC Counselor Veronica Casillas helped establish a weekly Farmers Market for SMC students. Students are trained by Food Forward to become leaders and glean produce at local farmers markets. They bring the produce back to campus and distribute it to students. With a Global Grant Ms. Casillas was able to purchase signage for the Farmers Market and tote bags for students to carry their fresh produce. The graphics were designed by SMC Marketing employee, Vivian Chu.
4th Annual Ecofeminism Conference
Kaya Foster, Student Greening Program Director at Sustainable Works
The theme of the 4th Annual Ecofeminism Conference on April 22 , 2017 was "Artivism" focusing on the unique power of aesthetics and visual culture to bridge language and culture barriers and stimulate open-ended conversation and understanding about gender equity and environmental issues. Pictured above: Charlotte Cressey, Isabella La Rocca, and Kaya Foster.
East Side Sushi Film Screening and Discussion
Professor Keiko Tsurumi
On April 27, 2017 the film, East Side Sushi, was screened on campus. The writer and director of this film, Anthony Lucero (pictured above on left side), spoke about the challenges of making this film. Also present to answer questions were sushi chefs from the Sushi Chef Institute (pictured on right side, Chef Anraku, Chef Andy Matsada, Anthony Lucero,and Chef Rogelio Cervantes). The film follows the struggles of a Latina single mother who attempts to become a sushi chef and the challenges she faces in the male-dominated world of traditional Japanese gastronomy.
Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence (LSMCE) Conference
Professor Roman Ferede
On October 28-29 2016 Professor Roman Ferede accompanied three SMC students, L-R Edwin Rashidi, Miguel Macias, and Simon Valenzuela to the LSMCE conference in Lisle, Illinois. The students presented a project about carotenoid extraction. This project had previously won first place in scientific research poster at the SMC Global Citizenship Symposium in May 2016.
Simon Valenzuela wrote:
"Being in an environment where everyone around you is interested in the same things you’re interested in, in this case STEM academia and research, you tend to relish in these moments and take it all in. The whole time I was there I felt like I mattered and that the work I did was important, but at the same time I saw that everyone else mattered and that the work that they did was important. So, I began to feel obliged to share my work and listen to what others had been working on, I suppose this is what being and feeling like a scientist is like. Producing and receiving information that propels the scientific community and henceforth the world."
Quetzal: Collective Songwriting Workshop and Community Concert
Professor Marisol Moreno
Sponsored by Global Citizenship, the SMC History Department, the SMC Latino Center’s Adelante Program, the SMC Black Collegians Program, IDEAS at SMC, the Adelante Club, the SMC English Department, and the SMC Associates
Grammy® Award-winning Quetzal presented a two-day event in September. The East LA Chicano rock group features renowned musical artivists Quetzal Flores (guitar), Martha González (lead vocals, percussion), Tylana Enomoto (violin), Juan Pérez (bass), Peter Jacobson (cello), and Alberto Lopez (percussion).
Day 1 - Workshop - September 20, 2016
A conversation and collaboration on lyrics and melodies where exchanged with students and Quetzal’s members on a range of socially relevant issues.
Day 2 - Concert - September 22, 2016
Students and SMC community enjoyed a festive Quetzal concert featuring the premiere performance of the work created at the workshop on Day 1.
2015-2016 Global Grant Events and Projects
3rd Annual Ecofeminism Conference
Professor Melanie Klein
Kaya Foster, Student Greening Program Director at Sustainable Works
On Saturday, April 23, 2016, the 3rd Annual Ecofeminism Conference took place on the SMC Campus. With help from the SMC Global Citizenship Initiative and the SMC Associated Students, organizers were able to provide an exciting and meaningful program that used an ecofeminist framework to explore the SMC Global Citizenship Theme; “Gender Equity: Is Equity Enough?”. A series of presentations examined what types of environmental policies create true gender equity. To read in-depth biographies of presenters and organizers visit 3rd Annual Ecofeminism Conference.
ESL21A - Los Angeles Theme
Professor Janet Harclerode
During Spring 2016 students in ESL 21A focused on themes related to the cultural life of Los Angeles: Pet Ownership; Sabato Rodia, Noah Purifoy, the Watts Towers, and the LA River. For an up-close view of the topics, the class embarked on 3 trips, two of which were sponsored by the Global Citizenship Initiative. Writing assignments included the topics of pet ownership, the influence of art on people’s lives, and the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. During the second 8 weeks, students moved up to ESL 21B, where they studied and wrote about the themes of global citizenship, social responsibility, and gender equity.
Japanese National Debate Team vs. SMC Debate Team
"Should the US Implement Significant New Gun Control?"
Professor Nate Brown
March 10, 2016
Naruhiko Nakano, Professor Nate Brown, Masaya Sasaki, Professor Luis Andrade
In March 2016 two members of the Japanese National Debate Team, Naruhiko Nakano and Masaya Sasaki, visited Santa Monica College to debate the SMC Debate Team on the issue of gun control. The event was organized by Professor Nate Brown, Communication Studies, and funded in part by the SMC Global Citizenship Initiative. The Japanese debaters visited a Com 21 Argumentation class to speak about communication, debate, and persuasion but when the SMC students started asking questions, it quickly shifted from debate topics to an intercultural information exchange. After that, the Japanese and the SMC debate teams debated on the topic of whether the US should have significantly higher gun control. The SMC team was represented by Stephanie Mendez and Alfredo Gama and the event was well attended by over 75 SMC students and faculty.
2013-2014 Mini-Grant Events and Projects
“The Question of War” Documentary Film
Professor Jeff Crum
Thanks to generous support from the Global Citizenship Initiative, Santa Monica College students and faculty have collaborated to produce a documentary film and web project that explores attitudes towards war and the perceived inevitability of future violent conflict.
The style of “The Question of War” is dialogue. The film includes interviews with peace authors David Swanson and Norman Solomon, war correspondent and publisher Helena Cobban, ex-Army Ranger Stan Goff and excerpts from a talk by the Dalai Lama. The perspectives and concerns of children from all over the world are also featured.
West Coast Premiere of “Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Personal Portrait” and Discussion/Q&A with the Filmmaker George Silano
Professor Salvador Carrasco
On February 27, 2014, Santa Monica College’s Dept. of Communication and Global Citizenship presented the West Coast Premiere of rare untelevised footage lost for decades in an obscure archive: “MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: A PERSONAL PORTRAIT,” by Emmy Award-nominated cinematographer, George Silano. The event was moderated by Prof. Salvador Carrasco, Head of SMC Film Production, and Associate Dean Frank Dawson, and after the screening, there was a Q&A/discussion with the filmmaker, George Silano.
The event was filmed and edited by Prof. Carrasco’s filmmaking students...https://vimeo.com/97235363
...and it was also featured as the cover story of SMC's Corsair Newspaper:
http://www.thecorsaironline.com/arts-entertainment/2014/03/05/rare-mlk-film-screens-on-campus/
1st Annual SMC Global EcoFeminism Conference
Professor Melanie Klein
Pictured above, from left to right: SMC Professor/Ecofeminism Conference Chair Melanie Klein with GlobalGirl Media panelists Alejandra Castillo, Rebecca Ruvalcaba, Francesca Guerrini, and Gillian Grebler (photo courtesy of Anais Walsdorf)
Over 350 students and community members registered to attend the 1st annual SMC Global Ecofeminism Conference, held on Saturday, April 26th, 2014. The conference examined how a range of environmental issues such as climate change, unequal access to natural resources, and exposure to toxins, relate to the concepts of conflict, violence, security, etc in the lives of women around the world, and how women in a variety of professions are working on solving these problems.
The conference consisted of 6 topic panel discussions with over 25 esteemed panelists, and a morning and afternoon keynote presentation. During lunch, attendees visited tables hosted by non-profit organizations and local artisans, purchased food from a sustainable and charitable food truck, and were blessed by a ritual dance from a local Native American organization. The conference was organized by SMC faculty Melanie Klein and Sustainable Works Student Program Director Kaya Foster, supported by an incredibly dedicated group of SMC student organizers, Antioch University faculty Jane Paul, and SMC faculty Gillian Grebler.
Please visit smc.edu/ecofem for a full description of the conference programming and see photos from the event at the SMC Global Ecofeminism facebook page.
Global Peace and Security Film Series
Professors Josh Kanin and Alan Buckley
In spring 2014, the Global Citizenship Initiative underwrote a film series on the subject of “Peace and Security,” hosted by Film Studies professor Josh Kanin and Political Science professor Alan Buckley. Each screening welcomed standing-room-only audiences of students, faculty, and College community members.
Three films screened: White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Starship Troopers, and The Best Years of Our Lives. Each in its own way illustrated the tremendous human toll associated with war, insecurity, and humankind’s quest for world peace and justice. Audience discussion followed each screening and featured a lively debate on the issues raised in each film.