Barnard Bold Conference 2026: Pedagogies of Connection and Friction

Barnard Bold Conference, April Third, Pedagogies of Connection and Friction

We are pleased to announce the 2026 Bold Conference: “Pedagogies of Connection and Friction.” This year’s Bold conference explores the relationships between two terms that appear at first as opposites: Connection and Friction. The roundtables, pedagogy circles, and workshops that make up this year’s conference invite us to consider how teaching and learning require both. We imagine these terms broadly: connecting with other people, connecting ideas to broader networks, coming up against productive resistance in our learning environments, and experiencing moments where this friction becomes so kinetic that it threatens to stall learning, among others. This year, we will explore how the processes of calibrating connection and friction makes learning and knowledge production possible.

This annual event is open to students, faculty and staff from across the Barnard community. If you have any questions related to the Bold Conference, please email us at pedagogy@barnard.edu.

If you would like to discuss with us how you can balance your participation at Bold with your religious observance, we would be grateful to speak with you. Feel free to reach out to Melissa Wright at mawright@barnard.edu or the team at pedagogy@barnard.edu.

Register for any and all Bold 2026 Conference sessions

Barnard Bold Conference 2026 Schedule

Wednesday, April 1

6 - 8 PM	Google IRL Movement Lab (Milstein LL020) Google, but in real life! Get any question answered, share your knowledge, googly an eye. This session is a kick-off for the Bold 2026 Conference and led by Barnard and Columbia students Sonia Chang Appen, Caroline David, and Adeline Sauberli. Register for Google IRL

6 - 8 PM

Google IRL

Movement Lab (Milstein LL020)

Google, but in real life! Get any question answered, share your knowledge, googly an eye. This session is a kick-off for the Bold 2026 Conference and led by Barnard and Columbia students Sonia Chang Appen, Caroline David, and Adeline Sauberli.

Register for Google IRL

Friday, April 3

9:45 - 10 AM	Gathering in Sulzberger Parlor for light refreshments and coffee
10 - 10:15 AM	Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:15 - 11:30 AM	The Shape of a Barnard Classroom: A Pedagogy Circle on How We Teach, Learn, and Grow at Barnard \| Led by CEP Learning, Engagement, & Assessment Fellows (LEAFs) Sulzberger Parlor, located on 3rd floor of Barnard Hall This pedagogy circle will bring students, faculty, and staff together to think about what teaching and learning at Barnard look like right now. Barnard classrooms are shaped by close discussion, strong relationships, and a real sense of intellectual community. But they are also being affected by big conversations and sometimes disagreements about topics such as AI, national and international politics, freedom of expression, and the College’s mission and values. In this session, participants will reflect on where connection happens at Barnard and where friction shows up, whether in the classroom, in academic expectations, or in the relationships between different parts of the community. We hope to ask what it means to be part of Barnard at this moment and how we can build a learning culture that is thoughtful, rigorous, and human. The session responds to the need for spaces where the Barnard community can pause, reflect, and speak honestly with one another about the future of teaching and learning here.
11:30 - 11:45 AM	Stretch Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM	Many Paths, One Problem: Student and Faculty Perspectives on AI Sulzberger Parlor, located on 3rd floor of Barnard Hall Conceived by the CEP Student Advisory Committee, this session places students and faculty from different academic departments together in conversation to situate AI within the goals and methods of their discipline. We will explore how approaches to AI differ across academic disciplines and professional fields, and consider the pedagogical questions that emerge.
12:45 - 1:15 PM	Lunch
1:15 - 2:45 PM	something from nothing / honoring intuition: a contact improv workshop with Colleen Thomas-Young Barnard Hall 305 Contact Improvisation is an embodied practice that teaches us to move with weight and connection. This improvisation technique informs the mover in us all as it emphasizes listening, trust, and spontaneous creativity. In this workshop, we will explore the simple practice of sensing and following rather than controlling or leading. Dancers and non-dancers alike are welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable pants to fully engage.
2:45 - 3 PM	Coffee Break
3 - 4 PM	Celebrating Our Academic Departments: Stories of Bonding and Building Culture Sulzberger Parlor, located on 3rd floor of Barnard Hall This session spotlights and celebrates academic departments that have created strong communities and meaningfully supported students through their academic journeys. You will hear candid stories from members of the CEP Student Advisory Committee about their experiences as part of being engaged in and supported by departmental culture. Nominated departments will also have a chance to share how they build community and take a bow. This session was conceived by and will be led by the CEP Student Advisory Committee.