The 60-Second Lectures have been a Penn Arts & Sciences tradition since 2003. In April of 2024, faculty experts presented themed lectures focused on upholding the hard promise of open expression and respectful dialogue in a unique series.
Penn Arts & Sciences announced the Living the Hard Promise series in the fall of 2023. It is an initiative to create spaces for the University community to begin the process of working through a period of tremendous challenge. In these brief lectures, faculty focus on how Americans of Asian heritage became Asian American; the purpose of the liberal arts and how they relate to living the hard promise; and the importance of listening to one another.