Life-Long Learning Talks

Immerse yourself in world cultures and uncover the research and archaeological breakthroughs that happen every day at the Penn Museum. Our Lifelong Learning workshops provide opportunities for global enrichment by bringing your group up close and personal with international educators, artists, and Museum-affiliated archaeologists and anthropologists.

World Culture

Learn more about countries around the world directly from people who lived there! This series offers personal interaction with international educators who provide meaningful context for Museum artifacts. Our diverse workshops cover countries and cultures from all over the world.

Africa

Kangas

Message Carriers of East Africa

Educator: Beatrice Bolger
Location: At the Museum or at your organization

A kanga is a traditional garment in East African culture. This printed cotton fabric is designed with bright colors and inspirational messages in Swahili. The kanga serves many functions and communicates messages through riddles and proverbs. Women traditionally wrap a kanga in their own fashion, while men offer kangas as gifts. A Kenyan instructor will teach students about the history of kangas and their cultural meanings and functions, along with some basic Swahili greetings. Students will then create individual kangas that feature their own messages and African symbols using paper collage.

Swahili Proverbs

The Influence of East Africa on the Sunny Motherland and Western World

Educator: Beatrice Bolger
Location: At the Museum or at your organization

Swahili greetings and methali (proverbs) are prevalent in many countries across the motherland. In most continental African and African Diasporic cultures, proverbs have been used as a main source of instruction for children and youth. They contain important guidelines and principles of behavior towards God, ancestors, neighbors, and themselves. This educational method is still actively used in schools, where proverbs are studied for their linguistic and social importance. In this workshop, students learn various Swahili proverbs, engage with their English interpretations, and link them to real-life lessons in traditional African culture.

Asia

Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Educator: Haibin Wechsler
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

Chinese New Year is a time of exploding firecrackers and leaping dragon dancers. This workshop takes a closer look at rituals and customs associated with Chinese New Year celebrations and explores their historical origins. Students gain a deeper understanding of these rituals and their cultural and social significance.

Chinese Characters

A Journey Across Time

Educator: Haibin Wechsler and/or Yifan Gao
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

What is a Chinese character? Where do they come from? How hard is it to write them? This workshop examines the developmental history of Chinese characters—a journey of thousands of years. By looking at the transformation of these characters over time and the many historical factors behind their changes, students gain a better understanding of Chinese history and culture. Students will also practice writing Chinese characters.

Holi, Triumph, and Colors

Educator: Madhusmita Bora
Location: Virtual

Holi, or the festival of colors, signals the advent of spring in India. This presentation dives into the myths, stories, and rituals surrounding the popular Hindu festival celebrating life, love, vitality, and the triumph of good over evil. Hear ancient stories of Hindu deities Radha and Krishna, and the action-packed legend of the powerful Hiranyakashipu. Participants will also learn how to make organic colors for their own Holi celebration using spices, flour, and vegetables.

Sattriya

A Hindu Monastic Dance Tradition of Assam

Educator: Madhusmita Bora
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

In this workshop, a performer of the Sattriya Dance Company takes you on a journey through a 600-year-old dance tradition. Until recently, this dance was only preserved, nourished, and practiced by monks on a little island in northeast India. Hear about the lives of these monks and learn stories from Hindu mythology through the dance. Along the way, students are led in movement exercises and learn some vocabulary of this ancient Indian tradition.

Stories from the Tamil Diaspora

Educator: Praveen Vijayakumar
Location: Virtual

What does it look like when worlds collide and create new communities? This workshop traces a Singaporean Tamil family’s history back to Tamil Nadu, India, in the early 20th century. The presenter shares experiences of British colonialism, Tamil performing arts practices, and Singapore’s transition from colony to independent, multicultural, global nation. Students will gain intimate insight into Singaporean culture, much of which is reflected in its cuisines. Through storytelling, participants are invited to personally engage with global cultures, reimagine past histories, and discuss positive futures.

When East Meets West

Educator: Haibin Wechsler and/or Yifan Gao
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

We think of globalization as a modern phenomenon, but what about globalization in ancient times? Beginning with a peek into the lives of present-day high school students in China, participants will explore how Western culture exists alongside Chinese norms. The second part of this workshop takes a historical journey to the Silk Road. Participants will examine the various exchanges that took place thousands of years ago and their impact on societies and cultures throughout Asia and the world.

Middle East

Rebuilding New Life

Photo Memories from Iraq

Educator: Yaroub Al-Obaidi
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

If you had to choose only 10 items to fit in your backpack before leaving home for a new country, what would you bring? What would you leave behind? In this workshop, Yaroub Al-Obaidi shares his long journey traveling from Iraq, through Syria, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and finally to Philadelphia. He “visits” each stop along his journey with a set of items that he packed for his departure to a new land, and describes the hopes and challenges of each transition. Yaroub will explain the contexts of global conflicts and refugee issues, and highlight what life is like for refugees in different parts of the world. Dialogues prompted by Yaroub’s vivid photographs encourage personal reflection on the complex issues of international affairs.

North, Central, and South Americas

Talk Story

Hawai’i’s Multicultural Food World

Educator: Kiki Aranita
Location: Virtual or at the Museum

“Manapua, pepeiao, pork hash!” went the rhythmic chant of Hawai’i’s famed manapua men, who served steamed buns and enormous dumplings in the sugarcane plantation era, and later served Spam musubi, fried noodles, and plate lunch from lunchwagons. Learn about the varied histories of these dishes, developed over many generations of Hawai’i’s immigrant workers, through the eyes of Kiki Aranita, chef and restaurateur whose ancestors worked on Kaua’i’s sugarcane plantations. Aranita now draws on her Hawaiian roots as the primary source of inspiration for her cooking.

Archaeology and Anthropology Experts

Our Museum-affiliated scholars share their experiences in the field through visuals, hands-on activities, and interactive discussions.

Anthropology

Local History & Communities

Architectural Treasures of the Keystone State

Educator: Steve Abrams, M.A., Independent Performing Arts Professional
Location: At the Museum

Every building has a story to tell. The rich architectural heritage of Pennsylvania is explored through a survey of banks, barns, churches, and houses from all over the state. Learn to look for the special features and styles that make old buildings worth preserving.

The Sphinx That Moved to Philadelphia

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

June 12, 2019, is a date that will live forever in the history of the Penn Museum. On that day, for the first time in nearly a century, the iconic 12.5-ton sphinx was lifted from its base and moved more than 900 feet (and one floor up!) to its new permanent home in the Museum’s redesigned Main Entrance Hall.

What is a sphinx and what did it represent to the ancient Egyptians? This lecture tells the history of the largest sphinx in the Western Hemisphere from its discovery in Egypt at Memphis in the early 20th century to its subsequent transport to Philadelphia and recent move within the Museum. Get a behind-the scenes look at the engineering and human effort involved in moving this monumental and priceless piece of history.

Cultural Anthropology

Asian Theater

Educator: Steve Abrams, M.A., Independent Performing Arts Professional
Location: At the Museum

A survey of traditional dance and drama of India, Indonesia, and Japan presented in light of the myths, origins, and practices of these colorful artforms. Using costumes, masks, makeup, and music, this lecture provides a meaningful exploration of theatrical traditions that are having a growing impact on Western drama.

Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict

Educator: Shelby Justl, Ph.D., Critical Writing Program Lecturer
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

There are growing international concerns about the threats to Egyptian cultural heritage posed by modern society. Children walk through current archaeological digs to get to school, and rumors of golden treasure fuel illicit digging and black-market artifact sales. This workshop opens with a presentation on present-day threats to Penn’s own archaeological site in Abydos. Participants will then engage in a broader discussion of cultural heritage preservation through examination of political events such as the Arab Spring, which affected Egyptian museums and archaeological sites.

Masks, Makeup, and Mystery

Educator: Steve Abrams, M.A., Independent Performing Arts Professional
Location: At the Museum

On every continent and in every age, people have devised ways to cover the face. Masks of wood, feathers, shell, and paint are often works of great beauty and power. This lecture looks at the various functions of masks across many cultures, and explores why they are made and how they continue to grip us.

Women and Archaeology

Educator: Shelby Justl, Ph.D., Critical Writing Program Lecturer
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

When archaeological research began in the early 20th century, there were only a handful of female practitioners in the field. Today, women make up roughly half of all archaeologists in the United States. While women are generally accepted in the field, female archaeologists still encounter many professional barriers. Meet a female archaeologist and learn about the challenges and opportunities women like her face both in the classroom and at dig sites. Hear about the real-life experiences of an archaeologist working in the mountains of Greece or the deserts of Egypt!

Archaeology

Field Experience

500 Miles Up the Nile

A Journey to Modern Ancient Egypt

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

This photographic essay takes students along with Dr. Phillips and a tour group of intrepid friends on their extraordinary 14-day journey up the timeless Nile River. In post-revolution Egypt, they journey from Old Cairo and the Great Pyramids to Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, and onward to the mighty Temples of Philae and Abu Simbel. Students experience the rich diversity of modern ancient Egypt from a firsthand guide and learn that not everything we read in newspapers or see on TV reflects the reality of life in this distant land.

Is Archaeology Really Like Indiana Jones?

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

Petra, “a rose-red city half as old as Time,” is nestled in a mountainous basin in a remote, rugged corner of Jordan. As one of the “new seven wonders of the ancient world,” Petra is famous for its more than 800 rock-cut tombs and monuments, including a Roman theater capable of seating as many as 8,500 people. Archaeological investigations at Petra continue to the present day, as students will learn from exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Dr. Phillips’ own work on a dig at the Temple of the Winged Lions. Learn on-site excavation techniques, experience life on an archaeological dig, and see if real-life archaeology is anything like the movies.

Ancient Egyptian Archaeology

The Mystery of the Circular Structures Behind the Great Pyramids at Giza

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

The pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza are not lone monuments in the desert; they are part of a vast cemetery complex that stretches nearly a mile from east to west. A joint archaeological excavation by Cairo University and Brown University has been mapping and surveying the northwestern section of the cemetery since 2000. This behind-the-scenes lecture introduces the excavation and its goals, methodology, personnel, and discoveries to date, much of which is now being published. Examine the rediscovery and excavation of a pair of circular structures constructed of sun-dried mud brick and shaped like igloos—the only examples of their kind found yet.

Sweet Home Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Cities and Daily Life

Educator: Shelby Justl, Ph.D., Critical Writing Program Lecturer
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

Travel back in time to 1500 BCE with Egyptologist Shelby Justl to see ancient Egypt beyond the pyramids and mummies. Explore ancient Egyptian settlements and daily life, including the glamorous palaces of pharaohs, the elaborate villas of private officials, and the simple dwellings of workmen. Students learn about ancient Egyptian childhood, family life, occupations, leisure, clothing, and diet. Sweet Home Egypt also shares how ancient Egyptians handled challenges like illness, grief, theft, lazy co-workers, and bad bosses.

Food in Ancient Egypt

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

What did the ancient Egyptians eat and drink? What may have comprised a typical ancient meal? Did they have beer? Wine? Pizza Hut? The diet of the ancient Egyptians was far more varied than you might think. They woke up hungry for breakfast just like you! This highly visual, illustrated workshop offers an introduction to the diet of the ancient Egyptians. Find out what we know and how we came to know it through archaeology and images the ancient Egyptians themselves created thousands of years ago. Then, as now, the fertile Nile River valley produced a rich variety of food products.

Middle Eastern Archaeology

Not Quite as Easy as ABC

Learning to Write in Sumerian Cuneiform

Educator: Phillip Jones, Ph.D., Associate Curator and Keeper, Babylonian Section
Location: At the Museum

The Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia created perhaps the earliest written collection of stories in the world, or rather, their children did. Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of tablets on which Sumerian children practiced writing cuneiform. Exercises included copying signs, myths, and legends. Using both ancient tablets from the collection of the Penn Museum and modern clay and styluses, students join the ancient scribes in learning the mysteries of the cuneiform writing system.

European Archaeology

At the Dawn of Art

Inside the Painted Caves of Southwest France

Educator: Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section
Location: Virtual, at the Museum, or at your organization

Our ability to express ourselves symbolically through art is among the features that make our species unique in the animal kingdom. Scholarly research into the origins of human art plays an important role in anthropological research to this very day. Why produce art at all? Can we, from our viewpoint tens of thousands of years later, even understand the intent of the Paleolithic artisans who created these images deep inside remote caves? Learn from your guide, Dr. Steve, who visited several remarkable caves while excavating Neanderthal archaeological sites in southwest France over four summers.