New Book in the Humanities & Public Life Series Explores Civic Engagement |
You walk into a space for a performance—not a theater, per se, but a gym or a ballroom—and find two rows of chairs with an aisle down the middle. Up front, a long table is set with name tags, microphones, and a folder in front of each space. Cameras are trained on the table, and large monitors on either side of the room broadcast what they capture along with captions. A microphone is positioned toward the front of what could be called the audience side of the room, while an American flag is posted behind the table.
This is the set of City Council Meeting, a performance that occurred in five U.S. cities (Houston, San Francisco, New York City, Keene, and Tempe) in the mid-aughts. It is the focus of a new book, The City We Make Together: City Council Meeting’s Primer for Participation in the Humanities and Public Life series, a collaboration between the Obermann Center and the University of Iowa Press. Written by two of the core theater makers behind the piece, Mallory Catlett and Aaron Landsman, the book also serves as a prelude and additional tool for a curriculum that is being created as an extension of the production.
|
Meet Our ICRU Student, Jacqueline Wahl |
This year, we're pleased to be working with an Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates student, Jacqueline Wahl. An English major with minors in Gender, Health, and Health Equity; Philosophy; and Cinematic Arts, Wahl is a senior from Marshalltown, IA. Her research project is focused on taking last year's Obermann series, "What Do We Mean by Research Now?" and turning it into a podcast, as well as exploring additional formats. We asked her about this and more.
What have you learned about research from doing this project that has surprised you?
JW: I wouldn’t necessarily say I found this surprising, but I have discovered that some of the most pressing problems in tech and science are about the human side of the issue and that the best path to addressing these problems is engaging in research that is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-facing.
Which of your classes has affected how you think about the world?
JW: Last semester, I took a course entitled "Literature and the Garden" taught by Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez Fielder that excavated an intuitive sense of wonder and curiosity for the environment that seemed to have gotten obscured as I grew up. Curiosity is a practice that fosters wonder, and rediscovering both in that course has been a gift. We also spent a great deal of time meditating on interdisciplinary studies and the relationship between humanities and science, which has greatly informed my academic path as I apply to graduate programs.
Is there a favorite Iowa City event or haunt that you’ll miss after you graduate in May?
JW: I’ll miss FilmScene dearly when I leave Iowa City. The movie theater is one of my favorite places to take a break, and having a community-oriented theater with such expansive and diverse programming has been an absolute delight.
|
|
Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Cinema & the Black Diaspora
Announcing Spring '23 Obermann Humanities Symposium
|
Our 2022–23 Obermann Humanities Symposium (March 30–April 1) offers an unprecedented exchange of contemporary ideas about the politics and aesthetics of international Black cinema.
Frequencias: Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Cinema and the Black Diaspora is organized across borders by Christopher Harris (Cinematic Arts, UI), Janaína Oliveira (Federal Instituto of Rio de Janeiro), and Cris Lira (University of Georgia). With film screenings, artists' talks, and scholar panels, it offers a rare opportunity to better understand the fantastic work done by artists to piece together the impact of the African diaspora on the everyday life of millions of people around the globe.
Speakers will include:
-
Miryam Charles, filmmaker and director of photography
-
Kênia Freitas, film programmer, critic, and scholar
-
Tatiana Carvalho Costa, curator and teacher
-
Aline Motta, filmmaker
-
Grace Passô, actress, director, and playwright
-
Cauleen Smith, interdisciplinary artist
|
Berkley Conner Takes Obermann Humanities 3MT Top Prize |
Berkley Conner, a PhD candidate in Communication Studies, took top prize in the Obermann Humanities 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) on September 29. This was the fourth year of the competition, which was established to bring more humanities students into the campus-wide competition. Conner's presentation was titled "Guarding Gender, Race, and Nation: A Rhetorical History of Menstrual Containment." Conner says of her decision to compete in the 3MT, "I value public-facing scholarship because my research can directly impact the lives of people beyond the university. The 3MT helped me sharpen the skills necessary to give back to and learn alongside those in my communities." In addition to winning $250, she will automatically compete in the campus-wide 3MT final on November 4.
|
Awards, Accomplishments, & Other Happy News |
|
