Walter H. Capps Center

Walter H. Capps Center The Walter H. Capps Center at UC Santa Barbara promotes discussion of how ethical teachings and values relate to civic life. Capps.

Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life was established in January, 2002 to honor and further the legacy of Congressman Walter H. Following his example, the Capps Center exists to advance conversation on major public issues, ethics, and values in a non-partisan, non-sectarian manner in order to cultivate an informed and engaged citizenry. We sponsor:

• Public lectures in t

he Santa Barbara community and at UCSB

• Internship programs in Washington, D.C., Sacramento, and Santa Barbara

• An undergraduate course on “Ethics, Enterprise and Leadership"

• Fellowships in support of research on cultural literacy and related ethical themes

• An annual lecture for members of the United States Congress

The Public Domain Players Presents... Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.)Directed by Olivia Bievenue From the directors:T...
05/15/2026

The Public Domain Players Presents...

Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.)
Directed by Olivia Bievenue

From the directors:
The factory managers are delighted to welcome you to Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.) for an extended tour of our robotics factory and island facilities! As the foremost manufacturers of robotic technology, we are at the cutting edge of advanced labor technologies solutions. We hope this visit will help you understand the service we are providing the world, and will dispel any worrisome notions you may have about robotic revolt! As our general manager, Harriet Domin, says, “The Robots work for us!”

Join the Public Domain Players for our production of Karel Čapek’s satirical/dark comedy Rossum’s Universal Robots. Evening shows are Saturday, May 30th and Sunday, May 31st at 7:30pm. One matinee show is available Sunday, May 31st. All three shows will be in Girvetz 1004.

Free entry for this event is made possible with generous co-sponsorships from the Early Modern Center, UCSB Electrical and Computer Engineering, UCSB Department of English, the Graduate Student Association, the Literature and Mind Center, and the Walter H. Capps Center.

🕐: 3 Shows, Sat May 30 and Sun May 31
📍: Girvetz 1004
💲: Free

See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Join us and our friends at the Multicultural Center Tuesday, May 12 for Nicolas G. Rosenthal on “Painting Native America...
05/04/2026

Join us and our friends at the Multicultural Center Tuesday, May 12 for Nicolas G. Rosenthal on “Painting Native America: Indigenous Artists in the Twentieth Century.” The talk follows generations of Indigenous artists who sought to make a place for Native art in both North American culture and society and the broader art world, as they negotiated such questions as how to use art for social and political goals, what constitutes “Indian art,” and how to make a living as artists.

🕐: May 12, 3:30pm
📍: Multicultural Center (MCC) Theater
💲: Free

See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Join us Thursday, May 28 (on Zoom) for Susannah Crockford on “Global Spirituality in Digital Media and Popular Culture.”...
04/24/2026

Join us Thursday, May 28 (on Zoom) for Susannah Crockford on “Global Spirituality in Digital Media and Popular Culture.” The talk will consider the varied online and offline routes that link people and places around the world through shared spiritual networks through the examples of starseed influencer April Elizabeth and Gaia, the subscription streaming platform for spiritual content. The Zoom Webinar link is available in our bio under “events.”

This event is co-presented with a grant from the John Templeton Foundation () as part of a nine-lecture series on contemporary metaphysical spirituality.

🕐: May 28, 1PM
📍: ZOOM Webinar (link in bio, under “events”)
💲: Free

See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Join us and our friends at UCSB Arts & Lectures Wednesday, April 29 for an evening of readings and commentary by one of ...
04/02/2026

Join us and our friends at UCSB Arts & Lectures Wednesday, April 29 for an evening of readings and commentary by one of America’s most vital literary voices, Martín Espada, whose words transform resistance and compassion into unforgettable art.

🕐: April 29, 7:30pm
📍: Campbell Hall
💲: Free

See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Support the Capps Center on !Next Thursday, April 9 marks the return of Give Day, UCSB’s annual 36-hour digital fundrai...
03/31/2026

Support the Capps Center on !

Next Thursday, April 9 marks the return of Give Day, UCSB’s annual 36-hour digital fundraiser. Much like the Capps Center itself, Give Day is rooted in the spirit of participation, bringing together the collective action of our alumni, faculty, staff, and friends to help shape the future of our campus.

Your support directly empowers us to: host world-class speakers and public forums on the most pressing issues of our time; to provide internships and research opportunities that prepare students to become engaged, ethical citizens; and to foster a unique space where the university and the community come together to tackle profound questions of identity, values, and the public good.

To give, please visit: https://www.cappscenter.ucsb.edu/giving

Thank you for your commitment to our mission and to the UC Santa Barbara community!

From Capps Center Director, Dr. Greg Johnson:We are proud to announce that our long-term work on repatriation at UCSB an...
03/30/2026

From Capps Center Director, Dr. Greg Johnson:

We are proud to announce that our long-term work on repatriation at UCSB and beyond has received a major boost by way of five-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation ().

A continuation of our project entitled “Repatriation Futures,” this grant will enable sustained work with several teams of repatriation practitioners and policy experts from as close as Santa Ynez and as far as Nagaland. We will travel as a team to various communities, listening to, learning from, and supporting repatriation practitioners seeking to bring home their ancestors and sacred objects.

As the project unfolds it will include a range of opportunities for community engagement and public participation. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting project.

Join us Thursday, May 7 at 4PM for J. Shawn Landres on “Disciplining the Line: Religious Studies and Artificial Intellig...
03/30/2026

Join us Thursday, May 7 at 4PM for J. Shawn Landres on “Disciplining the Line: Religious Studies and Artificial Intelligence.” In this talk, Landres will argue that Religious Studies provides much of the epistemological infrastructure the humanities needs to govern AI-assisted scholarly production, making it all the more consequential that the discipline is losing faculty lines faster than any other field in the humanities.
🕐: May 7, 4PM
📍: HSSB, room 3024
💲: Free
See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Join us Wednesday, May 6 for Omri Elisha on “What Do Planets Feel Like?: Metaphysics and Metaphors of Presence in Modern...
03/30/2026

Join us Wednesday, May 6 for Omri Elisha on “What Do Planets Feel Like?: Metaphysics and Metaphors of Presence in Modern Astrology.” The talk will consider how celestial symbols become vehicles of temporal presence and embodiment, encouraging states of mundane awareness while animating modes of spirituality in which distant and otherwise “alien” planets are experienced as immanently and intimately familiar. This event is co-presented with a grant from the John Templeton Foundation as part of a nine-lecture series on contemporary metaphysical spirituality.
🕐: May 6, 5PM
📍: Henley Hall
💲: Free
See our website for event details. Link in bio.

Join us and our friends at Wednesday, April 29 for an evening of readings and commentary by one of America’s most vital...
03/30/2026

Join us and our friends at Wednesday, April 29 for an evening of readings and commentary by one of America’s most vital literary voices, Martín Espada, whose words transform resistance and compassion into unforgettable art.
🕐: April 29, 7:30pm
📍: Campbell Hall
💲: Free
See our website for event details. Link in bio.

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