Themester 2020 Archive of Recorded Events
Recordings of this semester's Themester-affiliated events will be linked here as they are shared by Themester partners.
Themester 2020 Recordings
The Global Democratic Recession. And How to Reverse It
Dr. Larry Diamond discusses a deepening global recession of freedom and democracy since 2006, which has accelerated in recent years with the spread of authoritarian populism. He identifies causes of the accelerating slide toward autocracy and proposes some policies that can arrest the slide.
What is a Fair Election? And What Does Math Have to do With It?
Professors Larry Moss, Department of Mathematics, and Armando Razo, Department of Political Science, discussed the principal themes of their Themester 2020 course - POLS-Y 110 Mathematics and Politics: Conundrums of Representative Democracies - which reviews how math enables democracies to determine "the will of the people."
Meet the Artist: Sarah Edmands Martin
Former SNCC freedom activist, founder of the 1964 Freedom School movement in Mississippi, educator, and writer Charlie Cobb engages in a discussion with IU students about the connections between grassroots organizing for democracy in the South and its implications for today. How do memories of the fight for democracy shape the ongoing battle for racial and social justice in our own times? What lessons do the mobilization of young people on behalf of democracy and anti-racism during the 1960s hold for today’s activists?
Themester Podcast: Democracy
Themester interns Noura Ahmed and Eliza Craig explore Themester 2020's theme with faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences. In these discussions, College faculty share their expertise and insights from a wide range of disciplines, and challenge us to think more deeply about issues of governance and the ideals and realities of democracy today.
How & Why Democracy by War Produced a Kleptocracy in Afghanistan
America’s longest war of nearly two decades, allegedly securing America from global terror and bringing peace, stability, and democracy in Afghanistan, has failed miserably. Why? Explore this question and more with Professor M. Nazif Shahrani.
Meet the Artist: Sarah Edmands Martin
Sarah Edmands Martin, assistant professor of graphic design in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, discusses her project “Ongoing Matter: Democracy, Design, and the Mueller Report.” “Ongoing Matter” is a traveling, multi-platform collection of new poster designs that mobilizes political engagement.
Democracy around the World
IU's Global Gateways presents a four-part webinar series as part of the 2020 Themester "Democracy." Topics include challenges to liberal democracy, the pandemic's impact on governance, rising inequality, and professional work related to democracy.
31 Photographs: "Obscenity," Censorship, and Academic Freedom
Inspired by an influential mid-century obscenity case involving the Kinsey Institute (then the Institute for Sex Research), this four-part reflects explores government surveillance and censorship, and the importance of free expression in a democratic society.
Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote
This panel discussion explores the recently published book Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote by historian Ellen Carol DuBois (Distinguished Research Professor in the History Department of UCLA).
The Unfinished Fight for Voting Rights: Modern-Day Voter Suppression
Inspired by the commemoration of the 19th Amendment's centenial anniversary, IU's Women in Government presents a discussion on modern-day voter disenfranchisement in the United States. This panel will take a look at the various ways in which voters are deterred from the polls, and what can be done to combat modern-day voter suppression.
Whose Streets? Q&A
IU Cinema's virtual presentation of the documentary Whose Streets? featured a robust post-screening conversation and interactive Q&A with faculty, graduate students, and activists. Departments and organizations represented included African American and African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, BlackLivesMatter Bloomington, Communication and Culture, English, History, Gender Studies, Geography, and Indy10 Black Lives Matter.
Whose Streets? is currently available to watch on Tubi, Kanopy, and Pluto TV or on Netflix.
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