Behind the S(cr)een: African Americans in the Entertainment Industries
Opportunity to Explore an Important Topic in the Humanities
The Obermann Humanities Symposium is an opportunity for UI scholars to explore an important topic using the lens of the humanities. Co-directors invite national and international speakers who provide an interdisciplinary response to the theme, and also highlight the work of UI and local experts. The symposium often includes an arts component, as well as opportunities to share pedagogical approaches.
Recent symposia have explored the role of the humanities in understanding and communicating the new age known as the Anthropocene, celebrating and forming a cohesive vision for the study of Latinos in the Midwest, and an examination of Don Quixote as one of literature's most famous exemplars of parody and plagiarism.
This is a $20,000 award (pending budget); many recipients have applied for and received additional funding from other UI offices. The Director(s) also receive significant staff support.
What Can Museums Become? — 2020 Obermann Humanities Symposium
Misfitting: Disability Broadly Considered — 2019 Obermann Humanities Symposium
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Overview
Applications are due the second Tuesday in October each year.
Application deadline for 2023–24 Humanities Symposium Directorship: October 12, 2021 (5:00 p.m.)
Eligibility
Applications are welcome from any faculty member whose appointment requires significant research, including scholarship and work in the arts. Directors must also have a record of scholarship in the proposed area of the humanities. Faculty who have received this award in the last 4 years are ineligible.
Required Items
- Send a letter of introduction regarding your symposium topic: including its relevance to a particular field or fields; potential for sustained impact through publication or other means of sharing knowledge beyond the immediate event; and ideas for engaging with the community.
- Include a CV: for each applying director. We encourage but do not require that one director is a senior faculty member.
“I had to think in images.” This is how Rachel Williams explains her progression as the artist-author of two graphic histories who moved from illustrating the words of others to bringing a story to...
While completing a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Iowa, Martín López-Vega took a course on the Golden age of Spanish theater. When the class read Valor, agravio y mujer by Ana...
March Humanities Symposium to Explore Future of Museums When you think about museums, what comes to mind? Many of us picture an imposing building with artworks and artifacts displayed among velvet...
This Friday's Black Curators' Roundtable is a first chance to hear some of the issues that will be central to the 2019–20 Obermann Humanities Symposium, What Can Museums Become? Led by trans poet,...
Tricia Zebrowski and Douglas Baynton pulled off a wonderful finale this spring. The two retiring professors—Zebrowski is in her first year as an Emeritus in Communication Sciences & Disorders,...
Andrew Tubbs would like to see more researchers recognize the influence that disability has on their work—no matter the field of study. “It’s beneficial for researchers to understand that disability...
Bay Area comedian Nina G works tough territory. She plays gigs at clubs with names like “Nightlife on Mars” and “The Laugh Boat.” She stutters. And she’s really funny about it. While most stand-up...
The 2018 Obermann Humanities Symposium and Provost's Global Forum, " Against Amnesia: Archives, Evidence, and Social Justice ," brought a dozen scholars, artists, and archivists to Iowa City to share...
On March 1, 2018, Trudy H. Peterson delivered the Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professorship Keynote Lecture, “Best When Used By: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” as part of the 2018...
“It is essential to seize the power of archives and use it to hold institutional and government leaders accountable. All aspects of society should be documented, not simply those where power has...