A New Public Events Series
Launched in 2026, DHI Encounters takes one work of art or culture and examines it from multiple disciplinary perspectives, through a series of events on- and off-campus, over the course of a year. There is something for everyone–lectures, screenings, performances, and informal conversations, all building on each other to create space and time for deep learning and slow reflection, for making new connections across time, cultures, and disciplines, and for finding inspiration and community.
The series is designed so that participants can attend all, a few, or just one event, depending on their interests. While each event is self-contained, those who sign up for DHI Encounters emails will receive optional guiding questions and resources ahead of time, and a recap of previous events as additional context. Every event is free and open to the public.
2026-27 Focus: The Odyssey
- Learn about the relationship between Homer's text and Christopher Nolan's film
- Discover the significance of monstrosity and horror in Antiquity and Japanese Culture
- Watch the Coen Brothers' modern adaptation, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and learn about folk music and travel narratives
- Explore the meaning of hospitality across cultures and time, and its implication for private and public life
Registration is free and guarantees a spot for all events.
Homer vs Nolan
In this noontime lecture, Dr. Anna Uhlig, chair of the UC Davis Classics program, explores the relationship between Christopher Nolan's film and Homer's epic poem. She’ll provide context and historical insight while diving into the timeless themes of longing and the power of storytelling. The talk will unpack how Nolan adapts the ancient story for the modern world and where his narrative departs from the original. A light lunch will be served.
When: October 16 | Noon-1pm Where: UC Davis Student Community Center Map
Of Monsters and Men
As Odysseus takes to the sea, he encounters hordes of monsters who send him on detours that prolong his journey over many years. Once he finally gets home to Ithaca, however, a different kind of monstrosity awaits: his house has been taken hostage by ruthless suitors. Only through an act of horrific violence does Odysseus finally reclaims his home and ends his journey. Professors Kathleen Cruz and Michael Dylan Foster are experts on horror and monstrosity in Greek Antiquity and Japan, respectively. As Halloween approaches, join them for a conversation about monsters across cultures–what they mean and why we remain attracted to horror, despite the nightmares that might ensue.
When: October 22 | 6-7:30pm Where: Sudwerk Brewery Map
Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
In the 2000 Coen Brothers modern-day classic Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, Ulysses (George Clooney) goes on a rambling journey across the Depression-era American South, looking for a long-lost treasure. Adapted from The Odyssey, Oh Brother Where Art Thou? uses myth, folk songs, and humor to rework Homer’s tale and deliver an original story of its own. Join us for a screening of Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, followed by a conversation about the movie’s use of folk and African-American music and its place in a long history of travel narratives. A reception will follow, accompanied by a music interlude from the UC Davis’ Bluegrass Ensemble.
When: tbd Where: Anne E. Pitzer Hall Map
The Meaning of Hospitality
Zeus’ Law or xenia–the law of hospitality–is a constant refrain in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Some have read it as a commentary on contemporary approaches to border policy, immigration, and US imperialism. Others have read it within a Judeo-Christian frame, as a personal ethics akin to the Golden Rule–“do unto others . . .”. And others have seen it as a historical reference to the Bronze Age Collapse that seems to follow from the sacking of Troy. Ultimately, Nolan’s Odyssey points to the rich and complex legacy of “hospitality” as a concept, across cultures, societies, and epochs, and its ramifications for both personal and public life. To reflect on this legacy and its implications, join us for an interdisciplinary panel discussion on the meaning of hospitality. This last event in our DHI Encounters series will conclude with a celebratory reception.
When: tbd Where: tbd Map
Why DHI Encounters?
It started with some big questions
- Why do we need the humanities?
- What can the arts, history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, or other humanistic disciplines give us in our modern age, in our everyday lives?
In the end, we found at least three ways in which the humanities and arts today seem more valuable than ever, all of which inform DHI Encounters.
Go beyond the present
In more ways than one, it can often feel like we live in unprecedented times–a feeling of unrelenting “now” exacerbated by the rapid pace of the news cycle, by the uninterrupted flow of social media feeds. The humanities not only allow us to look back on the past but to imagine different futures, and invite us to engage differently–deliberately, creatively–with the world around us.
Engage with uncertainty
At a time when punditry and polarization paint everything in black and white, where it can feel difficult to trust public information or profit-driven messaging presented as fact, the humanities equip us to engage with complexity and accept nuance, and encourage us to grapple with life’s biggest questions, for which easy or clear-cut answers are rare.
Find community and joy
A book, a song, a poem, a work of art or a performance, even a good idea well communicated–all create experiences that can connect us to each other and to people far removed from us in space and time. Engaging together with beautiful and thought-proving works, contemporary and old, remind us of the unique awe that human creativity and intelligence can elicit.
The DHI is grateful to its collaborators in the Departments of Classics, Music, English, East Asian Languages and Culture, African American and African Studies, and Anthropology for making DHI Encounters possible. If you would like to support DHI Encounters or other DHI events, you can donate to the DHI or reach out to learn more.