Festival of Ideas & Enrichment

About the Festival of Ideas and Enrichment

Welcome to Yale Alumni Academy’s annual virtual Festival of Ideas & Enrichment! Taking place from July 25 to August 5, the festival brings you a world of new ideas, creative projects and thought-provoking conversations hosted by Yale faculty. Tune in this month with fellow alumni, family, and friends for this enriching series of lectures and online events. 

Festival Events and Lectures

Join us again in 2023!

On-Demand Webinars

Turkey - Hagia Sophia Sunset

Join Yale Alumni Academy and Professor Croasmun for a conversation about the Academy's upcoming travel program, Footsteps of St. Paul. Learn the...

Faculty:
Professor Matthew Croasmun ’01, ’04 M.A.R., ’14 Ph.D.
Associate Research Scholar and Director of the Life Worth Living

Watch On-Demand

The Olive Tree

The positive health effects of olive oil have been established through decades of research. A review of pertinent evidence of the olive tree’s and it...

Faculty:
Professor Tassos C. Kyriakides '96 MPhil, '99 PhD
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics; Director, Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center

Watch On-Demand

Golden Age of Spain

For roughly a century and a half (1500-1650) Spain was the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth.  It also boasted of ruling the first truly...

Faculty:
Professor Carlos Eire '74 MA, '76 MPhil, '79 PhD
T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Professor of Religious Studies

Watch On-Demand

Ancient Albania

Although it has been inhabited for at least ten millennia, Albania is today one of Europe’s “undiscovered” countries. Albania’s strategic position, only a short sail from Italy...

Faculty:
Professor Robert Nelson
Professor Emeritus of the History of Art

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Shanghai Skyline

Explore the global rivalry between China and the United States from 5G to AI and other emerging technologies.  Learn about how other countries assess their relations with China and the US...

Faculty:
Paul Bracken ’82
Professor of Management and Political Science

Watch On-Demand

Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich manuscript is an unsolved puzzle. A curious cipher manuscript from the early 15th century, it is unique in many ways. The script is not found in any other document, and while the...

Faculty:
Claire Bowern
Professor of Linguistics

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Fish and Coral

Explore the biodiversity of fishes, their evolutionary history, and the complicated relationship between humans and aquatic organisms as Professor Near leads you through the effect of biodiversity...

Faculty:
Thomas Near
Professor and Chair of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Bingham Oceanographic Curator of Ichthyology, Peabody Museum of Natural History

Watch On-Demand

Octopus Teacher

"My Octopus Teacher” tells the story of diver, Craig Foster’s incredible connection with a wild Octopus living along the shores of False Bay, in South Africa. The documentary takes place...

Faculty:
Casey Dunn
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Peabody Museum of Natural History

Watch On-Demand

Eagle, We the People, and American Flag

The concept of patriotism remains one of our most contested virtues. Living at a time of intense political polarization, patriotism becomes deeply politicized. On the right, it is frequently...

Faculty:
Steven Smith
Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science

Watch On-Demand

Virtual Tours

Virtually Explore Morocco

Discover ancient archaeological sites, religious sites, and more on this virtual adventure to North Africa's Morocco. 

Virtually Explore

Upcoming Programs Abroad