Themester comes to a close
Faculty and students reflect upon the Themester program as it comes to a close after its 15-year run.
Receive upcoming Themester events and news each week through the fall semester.
15 years of Themester: highlights
Themester faculty, staff, and students reflect on their favorite events throughout Themester's 15-year run.
Pussy Riot member to visit IU Bloomington
Protest can play a powerful role in shedding light on injustice and preserving truth in times of oppression. On November 13 at 7:00 p.m., Themester welcomes Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of the feminist art collective Pussy Riot.
IU undergraduate brings Eighteen Art Collective to campus
Members of the Eighteen Art Collective will come to IU for a panel discussion on art, race, and truth, thanks to the efforts of IU junior Austin Clark, an undergraduate studying photography and art history.
Grunwald Gallery of Art opens “Truly, in All Sincerity”
“Truly, in All Sincerity” will be an exhibition of contemporary art that explores the multifaceted nature of the truth. It will be at the Grunwald Gallery and feature five artists who explore the concept of the truth through their work.
Prepare for 2023-2024 eclipses at First Thursday
The search for “Light and Truth” can be dangerous and so can looking directly at an eclipse. Make an eclipse viewer at this month’s First Thursday.
Astrophysicist Dr. Travis Rector explores the Universe through Telescopic Photography
Astrophysicist and universe photographer Dr. Travis Rector will deliver a talk, “Coloring the Universe: An Insider’s View of How Astronomical Images are Made,” sharing his stunning images of deep space and discussing how these images are made.
Themester 2023 exploration of “Light and Truth | Lux et Veritas” underway
The College of Arts and Sciences’ 15th annual Themester is underway with an exploration of the theme of “Light and Truth | Lux et Veritas” throughout the fall.
COLL-S 103 Illusions in Culture: An Interview with Dr. K. Brandon Barker
COLL-S 103 Illusions in Culture is for any student "interested in the human species" and "invested in interdisciplinary studies," says Dr. Barker. The course is offered as part of the 2023-2024 Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE) program.
FRIT-F 226 French Society: An Interview with Dr. Oana Panaïté
Taught in English, FRIT-F 226 French Society explores French tradition, customs, and policies and how they achieve “Light and Truth” in areas such as politics, culture, and diplomacy.
LING-L 325 Semantics: An Interview with Dr. Thomas Grano
LING-L 325 considers the elements of language and how they come together to facilitate communication, especially statements of truth. Using a multi-disciplinary lens, this course explores the opportunities of language and truth.
The College seeks interns for Themester 2023: Light and Truth
Themester is searching for interns to help close out the program’s fifteen year run with the College of Arts and Sciences. This fall semester’s theme is Lux et Veritas | Light and Truth.
Themester interns reflect on 2022 podcast
Themester 2022 podcast interns discuss the experience of hosting and producting the "Identity and Identification" podcast.
Subscription renewed? Watch these identity-related films over winter break
Themester intern Kate O'Brien compiles identity-related films and streaming series for students to watch during Winter Break.
“I Am Carmen Miranda” performance postponed
Alejandra Villarreal Martínez's performance of "I Am Carmen Miranda," has been postponed until February.
Conference highlights ethical labor globally
Fast fashion might be fun and fit into your budget, but the consequences of that purchase might be greater than you think. Merchandising and Economics have joined forces at Indiana University to examine issues of ethical labor on a global scale with a one-day Ethical Labor Speaker Series on Nov. 8.
Affrilachian Poets challenge regional stereotypes
The Asian American Studies Program and the Arts and Humanities Council present a three-event public program with and about the Affrilachian Poets, a collective of diverse writers whose work generally centers on family, identity, place, social justice, and history.
Superfest Explores Identities in Disability Film Festival
The IU Themester Superfest Showcase 2022 is a one-night cinematic event featuring short, documentary, and interactive films selected from the Superfest Disability Film Festival.
Themester welcomes new interns for fall 2022
Themester welcomes its new 2022 interns for the fall semester, as we approach 2022’s theme: Identity and Identification.
Issue Forum: Affirmative Action: An Interview with Dr. Lisa-Marie Napoli
Affirmative action is a set of policies and procedures designed to be inclusive of individuals who represent specific identities. Dr. Napoli’s PACE-C 200 Issue Forum: Affirmative Action class will give students opportunities to explore their own perspectives and gain skills that will help them handle difficult conversations with people who hold opposing opinions.
Relational Identity: Self, Other and the In-Between: An Interview with Ms. Gaya Morris
In Relational Identity: Self, Other and the In-Between, "students will develop a critical awareness of the relationship of their selves to their social worlds," says instructor Gaya Morris.
Comparative American Identities: An Interview with Dr. Colin Johnson
"One of my goals in the course is to make these aspects of everyday life in the U.S. more visible so that students become more attuned to role they could play, and already do play, in helping to shape what it means to 'be American,'" says Dr. Colin Johnson about his course AMST-A 200 Comparative American Identities.
Researching White Supremacism and Antisemitism on Social Media: An Interview with Dr. Günther Jikeli
In Günther Jikeli's Critical Approaches course, first-year students grapple with old myths propagated on a new medium. COLL-C 103 Critical Approaches to Arts & Humanities: Researching White Supremacism and Antisemitism on Social Media examines how some older myths from the European Middle Ages are still relevant today and how they are reformulated and disseminated on social media.
Race in American Art: An Interview with Dr. Phoebe Wolfskill
In Dr. Phoebe Wolfskill's course AMST-A 204: Race in American Art, students examine representations of racial identity in American art and visual culture from the colonial period through the present day. The class focuses particularly on evolving conceptions of Native American, African American, European American, Latino, and Asian American identities.
Global Healing: An Interview with Dr. Stephanie Kane
"We are in a very important pivotal moment. Settler colonial states, like the United States and Canada, are really coming to terms with the need to decolonize academia and the world," says Dr. Stephanie Kane. Dr. Kane’s INTL-I 302 Global Healing will help students understand the inter-generational impacts of settler cultures.
Literature and Politics: Performing Asian/Asian American Identity: An Interview with Dr. Jennifer Goodlander
"Given recent historical events and even the current political climate, it is important to better understand the history of Asians in the U.S. and globally, " says Dr. Jennifer Goodlander. Her course CMLT-C 343 Literature and Politics: Performing Asian/Asian American Identity, will look at Asian and Asian American performance texts to better understand the dynamic relationships between performance and identity.
Final programming deadline is June 1
Themester's final programming deadline is June 1. Funds remain for this final opportunity to be part of fall 2022's exploration of Identity and Identification.
Identity as Property: An Interview with Dr. Michael Weinman
"Identity is not an essential characteristic, but something that we negotiate, legislate, and debate continuously," says Dr. Michael Weinman. His course POLS-Y 300 Identity as Property explores how identity plays an integral role in politics.
Contemporary Black Poetry: “Blacker than a Hundred Midnights” : An Interview with Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde
"What I want people to learn is that being Black and Black-being are powerful and dynamic and have reshaped the world through, sometimes, a single sound," says Dr Maria Hamilton Abegunde, Dr. Abegunde's course AAAD-A 479 Contemporary Black Poetry: “Blacker than a Hundred Midnights” will explore Black identity through poetry.
Defining Human Identity in Medieval Literature: An Interview with Dr. Rosemarie McGerr
"Many texts from medieval Europe raised questions about assumptions about gender, social class, race, religion, and disability in defining the identity of human beings," says Dr. Rosemarie McGerr, instructor of Fall 2022's CMLT-C 321 Comparative Literature: Defining Human Identity in Medieval European Literature. A diversity of voices survive in literature from medieval Europe and explore questions we think of as "modern."
Disability in the United States: An Interview with Dr. Benjamin Irvin
"Disability in the United States will challenge the way students think about their bodies, their minds, and the worlds in which they live," says instructor Dr. Benjamin Irvin. The course will explore disability and ableism, a discriminatory belief system that is deeply embedded in American culture.
The Anthropology of Citizenship: An Interview with Dr. Sara Friedman
In Dr. Sara Friedman's service-learning course ANTH-E 400 The Anthropology of Citizenship, students apply theory to practice to learn about the critical connection between citizenship and identity.
Ethical Dilemmas: Genetics and Eugenics: An Interview with Dr. Andrew Libby and Ms. Alli Koontz
"This topic of genetic identity and identification shows how troublesome categories that try to define people can be," says Dr. Andrew Libby. Dr. Libby's course Ethical Dilemmas: Genetics and Eugenics examines the foundational principles of genetics and the controversial history of eugenics.
Netflix and chill? Stream these resilience-themed films over break
Looking for something to watch? This list of resilience-related films and shows includes a few familiar titles from this semester’s partnerships with IU Cinema as well as some fresh choices.
An interview with poster designer Lauren Gronek
Themester 2021's poster series proved a challenge for undergraduate designer Lauren Gronek. The May 2021 graduate answers questions about her process.
“This podcast will make you feel better about humanity”: a conversation on resilience with the 2021 Themester podcast hosts
Themester 2021 podcast interns discuss the experience of hosting and producting the "Resilience" podcast.
Undergraduate students needed for Themester 2022 advisory committee
The College seeks undergraduates to serve on the Themester 2022 "Identity and Identification" advisory committee with faculty and staff.
Invisible and Insidious: A Conversation on Dark Waters and Environmental Law
Themester intern Joelle Jackson talked with Austen Parrish, Dean and James H. Rudy Professor of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, to discuss the upcoming Themester film Dark Waters and the roles that law plays in the environmentalism movement for the IU Cinema blog A Place for Film.
Biologist Dr. Roger Hangarter presents an illustrated exploration of biodiversity
Biologist and nature photographer Dr. Roger Hangarter will weave a photography-augmented explanation of how ecosystems are interrelated.
IU's Dr. Robert Kunzman will explain the advantages of failure
Themester 2021's "Failure, and How We Can Learn from it" looks at the misunderstood benefits of failing.
IU Alums discuss their "Careers in Resilience"
IU Alums will share their career experiences with students at a Themester event focused on careers in sustainability and resilience.
"Seeds of Resilience" looks at the seed-saving movement
Themester 2021's "Seeds of Resilience" events examines the local and global seed-saving movement.
Indigenous issues explored in multiple Themester programs
Themester 2021 offers several events that explore Indigenous and Native scholarship and perspectives.
Themester 2021 student-produced podcast launched
Themester 2021 podcast interns explore the theme of resilience with College of Arts and Sciences' faculty.
Themester 2021 exploration of “Resilience” underway
The College of Arts and Sciences’ 13th annual Themester is underway with an exploration of the theme of “Resilience” throughout the fall.
Poet and writer Carolyn Forché to discuss themes of resilience
Carolyn Forché's body of work is infused with themes of resilience. She speaks at The Buskirk-Chumley on September 9.
Themester to offer online programs this September
Themester 2021 offers a combination of online and in-person events. See a list of September online events.
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