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Each academic year the DCII selects an annual theme connected to a major challenge facing humanity, and organizes events and other programming throughout the year that highlight the interdisciplinary nature of potential solutions to this challenge. 

The Big Challenge theme for 2025-26 is Understanding Migration.

Fall 2025 Events:

September 17th: Jason De León: "Soldiers and Kings"

Based on the research for his book Soldiers and Kings, winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction, Jason De León puts the spotlight on the billion-dollar human smuggling industry that resulted from both U.S. and Mexican immigration and border policies. Using his unforgettable photography and powerful prose, he documents the daily lives of Honduran smugglers who due to heightened security measures, make profit from transporting undocumented migrants across Mexico. In this eye-opening talk, he discusses the evolving, complicated relationship between transnational gangs, the human smuggling industry, and the migrants caught in this violent social process.

You can find . 

October 16th: Allman Family Lecture—Dr. Jennifer Raff: "Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas"

Humans are travelers. From ancestors living two million years ago to children born in 2025, we have migrated from one place to another in search of resources, to flee danger, or simply to explore. This mobility and adaptability is arguably one of our greatest strengths. In recent years, the study of DNA from ancient and contemporary humans has shed new light on our history of movement, complementing findings from archaeology and paleontology. In this lecture award-winning geneticist Dr. Jennifer Raff will explore some of the most exciting examples of migration across human history, visible through the lens of genetics, and how they give insights into who we are. 

You can find . 

November 6th: Misconceptions About Migration: Rapid-Fire Lessons from Around the World

In a lightning-round format, five ÑÇÖÞ×ÔοÊÓƵ professors from different academic disciplines will share their insights into commonly misunderstood aspects of human migration, providing a richer picture of migration patterns, causes, and effects than one might glean from American news headlines. The panel features Law Professor Natalie Nanasi, Political Science Professor James Hollifield, History Professor Bianca Lopez, World Languages and Literatures Professor Hervé Tchumkam, and Economics Professor Beth Wheaton-Paramo.

You can find .  

Spring programming will be announced later in the fall.