International Studies Colloquium with Ashok Rai, development economist. How do microlenders recover repayments from the poor without collateral?� Many think that it is the group loan system pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. But Grameen Bank dropped group lending in 2002, and microcredit is in the midst of a redesign. Rai's research is on how microfinance programs can reduce poverty by extending loans to people traditionally excluded from the financial sector. He has conducted fieldwork in Bangladesh, India, and Kenya. His research has been published in the Journal of Development Economics and the Review of Economic Studies. Before coming to Williams, Rai taught at Yale and Harvard.

Documentary film showing archival footage along with reflections on the fall of the Berlin Wall from four correspondents who covered the event – one from each of the major Allied powers of WWII. Directed by Jurgen Bottcher, 1990, 30 minutes. Shown in conjunction with the Center for Foreign Languages' photographic exhibit commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, "Icons of a Border: Photographic Search for Traces in Today's Berlin." Press release.

Starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Set in L.A. in 1962, A Single Man is the story of a 52-year-old British college professor who is struggling to find meaning in his life after the death of his long time partner. Regular ticket prices apply. Images Cinema

Juliet Hooker '94, Associate Professor of Government at the University of Texas, Austin examines the political philosophy of race in the Americas. Sponsored by Political Science, Africana Studies, and Claiming Williams. For more information, contact Jim Mahon (413) 597-2236 or Neil Roberts (413) 597-4772.