60-Second Lectures | Fall 2023 Roundup (Video)

This fall’s 60-Second Lectures included a special Constitution Day edition and 1.5 Minute Climate Lectures during Climate Week at Penn.

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

The 60-Second Lectures have been a Penn Arts & Sciences tradition since 2003. This fall, the lecture series presented topics ranging from the importance of microhistory to the value of rest in the age of digital media. It also included a special Constitution Day lecture, which explored the question, “Is the Constitution Too Old.” On September 20, 2023, as part of Climate Week at Penn, faculty from Penn Arts & Sciences and across the University united in a series of 1.5 Minute Climate Lectures to share their perspective on the unprecendented summer of extreme weather and climate events and their impacts, putting together the big picture.




“What is Rest?”

Chenshu Zhou, Assistant Professor of Cinema & Media Studies




“Microhistory: From Toenails to Teacups”

Heather J. Sharkey, Professor and Chair of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations




“Is the Constitution Too Old?”

Sarah Barringer Gordon, Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History




Sex Isn’t Real: A Historical Perspective

Beans Velocci, Assistant Professor of History and Sociology of Science




1.5* Minute Climate Lectures

The 1.5* Minute Climate Lectures took place on College Green as part of Climate Week at Penn and included an audience Q&A moderated by Paul Sniegowski, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Biology.

Presentations included:

"Heat" 
R. Jisung Park, Assistant Professor, School of Social Policy and Practice 

"Fire"
Nicholas Pevzner, Assistant Professor, Weitzman School of Design

"Drought"
Allison Lassiter, Assistant Professor, Weitzman School of Design

"Floods"
Matthijs Bouw, Professor of Practice and McHarg Center Fellow for Risk and Resilience, Weitzman School of Design

"Oceans"
Irina Marinov, Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Science

"Ice"
Sergey Molodtsov, Postdoctoral Researcher, Earth and Environmental Science

"Our Fragile Moment"
Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science; Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media

*The maximum amount the average temperature can rise in order to avoid the worst consequences of global warming is 1.5°C. We’re already past 1°C.

To watch more 1.5 Minute Climate Lectures visit the video gallery archive.