Looking for videos? Please visit our YouTube Obermann Conversations playlist.

 

From the past year:

Convos from the UI Events Calendar

Invisible Neighbors: Latinx Immigrants in Eastern Iowa — An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Invisible Neighbors: Latinx Immigrants in Eastern Iowa — An Obermann Conversation

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Virtual
Every week, new arrivals come to our area from Mexico and Central America. Many come with few possessions and only the thinnest personal network. These largely invisible newcomers to our community have immediate needs, some of which are being addressed by organizations like Open Heartland and UI-sponsored legal and medical clinics. We’ll hear more about our Latinx immigrant neighbors, their needs, and the work currently happening to assist their arrival. Speakers: Deb Dunkhase is the founder...
Igniting Change One Wall at a Time — An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Igniting Change One Wall at a Time — An Obermann Conversation

Thursday, March 3, 2022 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Virtual
When two large figures took shape on Burlington Street in Iowa City last summer, passersby had to contend with messages that went beyond the colorful, playful images of other downtown murals. "Weaponize your privilege" reads one of the so-called Oracles of Iowa City. The twin images are part of a long history of public art that challenges viewers and pushes for change, while asking who the "public" is in public art. Hear from artists and scholars involved in this project and other large-scale...
Ukraine and Russia: Deciphering the Current Situation — An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Ukraine and Russia: Deciphering the Current Situation — An Obermann Conversation

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Virtual
As the news cycle continues to focus on tensions at the Ukraine-Russia border, we've reached out to three people who know the region well to help us better understand current events and what has led to this situation. In this pop-up Obermann Conversation, we'll hear from: Daria Kuznetsova — A PhD student in Political Science and a native of Ukraine, Kuznetsova studies democratic transitions and the survival of democracies. For her Masters in Community and Regional Planning from ISU, she focused...
Reproductive Justice: An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Reproductive Justice: An Obermann Conversation

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Virtual
In the fight surrounding Roe v. Wade, it's easy to lose sight of the many other ways that access to reproductive healthcare can be limited or denied. Two Obermann scholars, Lina-Maria Murillo and Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz, talk with local healthcare providers and researchers to provide a fuller landscape of reproductive justice in the Midwest. Featured speakers: Lastascia Coleman, nurse-midwife, UIHC Nicole Novak, research faculty, College of Public Health Meagan Thompson, nurse-midwife, UIHC...
Economic Development as Social Justice — An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Economic Development as Social Justice — An Obermann Conversation

Thursday, December 2, 2021 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Virtual
This summer, a new Story Map of Black-owned businesses in Johnson County was created. It connects users to a rich and ever-growing directory of businesses and entrepreneurs in the eastern Iowa corridor and challenges us to understand the connection between economic opportunities and social justice. Our speakers will help us understand historic barriers faced by BIPOC people interested in starting a business, and why tearing down these barriers matters to all of us. Speakers: Daria Fisher Page...
Why Anne Frank Still Matters—An Obermann Conversation promotional image

Why Anne Frank Still Matters—An Obermann Conversation

Monday, October 18, 2021 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Virtual
For several generations, Anne Frank has been a household name—the WWII diarist whose posthumously published book has been translated into more than 70 languages. But do younger generations know her story? When they encounter her, what resonates with them? In this conversation, we'll consider Anne's legacy and the ways her experience as a refugee, a person in hiding, an advocate for human rights, and a joyful creative spirit can speak to new generations. Speakers will include: Kirsten Kumpf...
Trans Health & Medical Care: Where We Are, Where We Came From: A (Virtual) Obermann Conversation promotional image

Trans Health & Medical Care: Where We Are, Where We Came From: A (Virtual) Obermann Conversation

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Virtual
Surfacing in the mid-twentieth century yet shrouded in social stigma, transgender medicine is now a rapidly growing medical field. In this virtual Obermann Conversation, UI alum and Michigan State University professor stef shuster will share findings from their new book, Trans Medicine (NYU Press, 2021) in discussion with Dr. Katie Imborek, co-founder of UIHC's LGBTQ Clinic, and community archivist and PhD candidate Aiden Bettine, whose work creates and demands gender-affirming community spaces...
From previous years:

To view descriptions of conversations prior to December 2018, please visit the archived version of our website.

  • Nov 7, 2018 - Photographing the Latina/o Experience in Iowa - Social Activism, Research, and Policy

  • Oct 25, 2018 - Gerrymandering, Voter Registration, and Access to the Ballot

  • Sep 25, 2018 - Exploring Women in Sports and Title IX’s Legacy

  • Jul 20, 2018 - Latina/o/x Studies Today

  • Apr 26, 2018 - Controlling Research—Gun Control, Public Health, and Restraints on Research

  • Apr 19, 2018 - Global Citizenship

  • Mar 6, 2018 - So Long, Cursive!

  • Feb 6, 2018 - Unraveling & Mending: Art as Political Witness

  • Dec 4, 2017 - #Hashtag Activism: Fast. Fierce. Effective?

  • Nov 14, 2017 - Collective Action

  • Oct 18, 2017 - Algorithms: The Personal Is Political

  • Oct 4, 2017 - Maria in Context: Puerto Rico, Colonialism, and the U.S. Response

  • Sep 19, 2017 - Your Brain on Trees

  • Apr 20, 2017 - The Making of "Hot Tamale Louie"

  • Mar 22, 2017 - Johnson Co. Historic Poor Farm: New Collaborations AND Screening of Graduate Institute Film

  • Feb 15, 2017 - Aging in Place: Keeping Older Johnson County Residents in Our Neighborhoods

  • Dec 8, 2016 - Becoming Less Alone: Changing the Conversation about Mental Health

  • Nov 8, 2016 - Water, Prairies, and Climate Change: Iowa’s Environment in Historical Perspective

  • Oct 19, 2016 - Singing as Transformational Practice: From Hospice to Prisons

  • April 6, 2016 - Doing global history locally: German Iowa and the Global Midwest

  • March 9, 2016 - Creativity for a Lifetime

  • February 16, 2016 - How Housing Impacts the Health of a Community 

  • December 13, 2015 - Wild Sex: Animal Sex and Human Confusion

  • November 16, 2015 - The Costs of Success: Rap Music, Money, & Civics

  • September 29, 2015 - Participant-Consumers in the Marketplace of Ideas