Who are we?

The MIT Western Hemisphere Project includes students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Our goal is to bring the diverse MIT community together to examine and better understand the relationships among peoples, governments, and corporations in the Americas.

What do we do?

The Project invites the participation of all members of the MIT community. We organize activities and courses of different types to attract interest from a range of people.

We encourage discussions that are country-based—we might look at the culture and politics of a particular nation in the hemisphere—as well as discussions that transcend national borders: e.g., environmental degradation and climate-change; national identity and the rights of indigenous peoples; or migration, technology transfer, and the debate surrounding "globalization" and "free trade."

Our current program

Events taking place in the current academic semester are listed. For each event we usually provide an introduction to the issues and a selection of references. We also maintain an archive.

We invite your participation

How can you take part in the MIT Western Hemisphere Project? It's easy! Throughout the year, you can attend our discussions, debates, scientific talks, courses, book fairs, poetry readings, and film screenings. Attending such events, you can learn— but with your questions and comments you can also help educate others.

Another way to participate in the Project is to join us in the work of organizing—to help select and shape our program of activities. Write to us or attend our next open meeting. There is plenty of work to be done, and it's a great way to learn how to make the most of the opportunities MIT has to offer. Whatever your interest in the Western Hemisphere, whether it's political, economic, scientific, or cultural, we want your active participation—so join us and share your interest with the MIT community!

Reaching us

We have provided directions in case you aren't sure how to get to MIT or need help locating specific rooms on campus. To add yourself to our mailing-list, or to contact us for any reason, send a message to hemisphere-admin@mit.edu.

[A note about the images on this page: each button bears a message that either celebrates or explains something about life in the Western Hemisphere. The buttons were made in August, 2001 and are available either individually or as a set of six. Needless to say, we welcome ideas for additional buttons.]