Departments, programs, and faculty groups in the College are invited to submit interdisciplinary proposals for a theme for fall 2023's Themester.

Themester is an undergraduate initiative designed to take full advantage of the College’s commitment to an integrated liberal arts education by bringing work in arts and humanities, social and historical sciences, and natural and mathematical sciences to bear on challenging issues and problems. It accomplishes this by offering an array of curricular and co-curricular opportunities that put College students and faculty in an extended, semester-long conversation with one another, as well as with the larger IU campus and local community.

The proposals should be 3 to 5 pages in length and include the following:

• Exploration of the proposed theme. A productive Themester needs to address problems and issues that are both longstanding and contemporary.  Additionally, such problems and issues should implicate social, political, cultural, economic, scientific, and technological ways of knowing, being, and/or understanding. As with past themed semesters, it should be clear how a strong liberal arts education is necessary to engage such issues and concerns. Your discussion of the proposed theme should be specific in calling attention to the range of issues involved and how they might incorporate intellectual perspectives that draw from all divisions of the College.
  
  
• Implementation concept.  What kinds of programming do you envision? 
  
  
  1. Identify 10-20 undergraduate College courses from multiple disciplines that are connected or could be connected to this issue. These should be existing courses and can include relevant topics courses that have been taught recently or that you know will be taught in the future. Themester occurs in the fall semester. Courses that are typically taught in the spring, but can be moved to fall are welcome. Do not list courses you know to be defunct.
     
     
  2. Identify up to 5 examples of co-curricular activities (e.g. speakers, colloquia, debates and student panels, film series, theatrical productions, creative activities, museum and library exhibits, and other events) that would address this theme. Themester programming is largely proposal-based. You will not be expected to implement these exact examples; this list helps demonstrate proof of concept.
     
     
  3. The College is exploring a common book model to replace a keynote speaker. Identify up to 3 books (fiction or nonfiction) that would address this theme from diverse perspectives and engage undergraduate students in contemporary issues facing their local and/or global communities.
     
     
  4. Note any campus or community partnerships that you have explored or would like to explore as a way of implementing programming.
     
     
• Advisory committee. Proposals should identify faculty who might serve on the advisory committee. Faculty should be affiliated with the College with demonstrable interest or expertise in the theme. One staff member with relevant subject-area or professional expertise is permissible.  The committee should consist of individuals representing a diversity of viewpoints and disciplines.
  
  The advisory committee will work with the Themester Coordinator and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education to review and recommend courses to showcase and to review and recommend co-curricular (programming) activities. Each Themester is built by an advisory committee of no more than six faculty members and three to four undergraduate students. Undergraduate students will be chosen at a later date.