Inaugurated in 1998, the Ancient Studies Program is supported by the interdisciplinary Center for Ancient Studies and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Faculty affiliated with the program are drawn from both places. Participants live on the 14th and 15th floors of Harnwell and include those who are interested in ancient civilizations, classical studies, art history, or museum work. The program provides its residents with a wide variety of opportunities to visit museums and special exhibits, attend lectures, meet faculty, visit other cities, and socialize with like-minded people.

Program Goals: Ancient Studies aims to foster a deeper appreciation of the ancient world by providing students with structured opportunities to interact with exhibit curators and to view Museum artifacts from Philadelphia, New York, and Washington. Students will also have the opportunity to practice giving informal presentations in an encouraging environment. As a community, the Program seeks to build relationships between first-year students and upperclass students, create a home-like environment, and make students value their group citizenship as much as their own individuality.

Expectations of Participants: In order to get the most out of the Residential Program, students can expect – at minimum – to attend the floor meetings held at the beginning of each semester; and to take part in two major events and four minor events over the course of a semester.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page

This vibrant, well-rounded Program unites students from various personal and academic backgrounds who share, and actively pursue, their interest in visual arts, music, theater, and dance.

Residents of this Program have the opportunity to attend local professional performances of ballet, theatre, symphony orchestra, and opera, as well as make trips to Philadelphia museums and poetry readings. Within the house, residents participate in movie nights, sing-alongs, and other social gatherings geared toward generating conversations about the arts. Each December residents have the option to go to New York to attend a Broadway musical and/or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Residents also get the chance to demonstrate their artistic prowess in the annual Arts House Showcase in the spring semester.

The Program occupies the 12th and 13th floors of Harnwell. Programmatic facilities available to residents include a dance studio and an all-purpose lounge with a piano and a wall-mounted, flat-screen television/computer monitor.

Program Goals: Students living in the Program will gain a new appreciation of different genres of art and learn more about the history of artists, composers, and particular works of art. Program residents will also have the opportunity to form and communicate opinions about various issues in the arts within a safe, supportive community.

Expectations of Participants: To get the most out of the Program (as well as to get the opportunity to return), residents should plan on meeting – at minimum – the following expectations: attending the first Program group meeting each semester; attending/planning two study breaks and one event each semester; help stage the annual Arts House Showcase. Participants are also highly encouraged to support one another by attending each other performances throughout the year.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page

This program brings together a diverse group of students interested in the languages, cultures, and societies of Asia, and the experiences of Asians and people of Asian descent in the United States. This friendly and very active community is housed on the 10th floor of Harnwell College House.

In the past, residents have visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to tour their Asian art exhibits. Other activities have included martial arts classes and program dinners sampling various Asian cuisines. In addition, the program supports its residents' activities that promote interest and learning in Asian cultures.

Program participants have a designated lounge space with a wall-mounted, flat-screen television/computer monitor for formal and informal recreational and educational activities.

Program Goals: Residing in East Asia House offers students opportunities to nurture their interest in Asian and Asian American histories, politics and fine arts, and supplement their academic and social obligations on campus.

Expectations of Participants: All residents are expected to take an active role in promoting a strong sense of community within the Program, through attendance at the majority of events hosted by the House and working together to support each other during times of struggle and celebration. Residents are also expected to show leadership in taking their turn to create Program activities that align with the agreed-upon goals of the East Asian House community.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page

"Serving to Learn, Learning to Serve"

A learning and living community open to sophomores through seniors, dedicated to developing civic leaders for an increasingly democratic and culturally complex world.

Residents of this community are students from across the University interested in joining and shaping a learning and living community dedicated to issues of social justice, civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, and intercultural understanding. Residents in this community engage in a student-driven, year-long living-learning experience that will prompt them to understand and address fundamental issues in our local and global environment.

Housed in Harnwell College House, the Franklin Community is a program dedicated to creating a community where residents can enhance their leadership abilities and be empowered to engage as democratic citizens in a culturally complex world. We hope that you will consider joining us.

Program Goals: The Program offers its residents the opportunity to live with and learn from a diverse community of students involved in community service, social justice, civic engagement, and intercultural understanding. This Program will enhance students’ leadership skills and cross-cultural communications skills, while also challenging their beliefs and perceptions of service, socio-economic status, social class, and related concerns.

Program Requirements: Students in the Franklin Program are required to enroll in the associated Academically-Based Community Service course and to do the associated small group service projects, as well as a weekly volunteer service placement in an organization of the students choosing.

To Apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page

The International Residential Program (IP) is located in Harnwell College House and is one of Penn's oldest residential programs for Penn undergraduates. Located on Harnwell’s19th and 20th floors, the Program aims to provide the opportunity for its approximately 70 residents to live in community with other Penn international students, first generation Americans, or simply students interested in learning about other cultures and ways of living. Of the activities that each year facilitate building this community, only the International Food Festival, planned and staged by residents, is an annually recurring event. Other events and activities are shaped by the particular interests of residents each year and characteristically include the enjoyment of international food, theater, music, and major trips to ethnic or cultural enclaves outside the House, whereas in-House social programs encourage residents to share with their peers stories about their families, countries, and other aspects of their backgrounds.

Program Goals: The Program aims to provide a sense of home and family to students far from their own, while inviting them to expand their understanding of other cultures and fostering an appreciation for living in an intercultural community. Residents are encouraged both to speak about themselves and their ideas of identity, and to listen to what others have to say, in order to foster a sense of mutual responsibility and respect.

Expectations of Participants: At a minimum, participants are expect to attend the first floor meetings each semester, to contribute to the International Food Festival, and to attend or organize at least two other events. Ideally, participants should be willing to engage actively with other students in the program, in order to build a respectful, intercultural community.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page

This program was established by students in 1985 with the goal of exploring and celebrating Latin American cultures. LARP fosters an appreciation for Latin American languages, politics, and forms of cultural expression; it also, most importantly, fosters a sense of community. While reaching out to the wider community through collaborative programming, there is still the feel of a small-scale “home” environment. The 16th floor lounge serves as a meeting place for many Latin American and Latino affinity groups but is also the scene of study breaks and many family-style dinners.

Program Goals: Through a mix of academic and social activities, the Program seeks to build a community that exposes its members to different facets and aspects of Latin American and Latino cultures and cultivates mutual respect and appreciation for the diversity of these cultures.

Expectations of Participants: To get the most out of this Program, participants should plan to attend all core events and involve themselves enthusiastically in the development and implementation of Program events.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay.

View on the Residential Programs page