Obermann Conversations bring UI scholars into informal dialogue with both a public partner and a wide audience, allowing us to respond to current events and provide an avenue for scholars to share relevant work. Some of the programs were recorded by the Iowa City Public Library, which co-sponsors the program, along with Little Village. Links to those recordings can be found below.
This year, we hosted seven Obermann Conversations at the Iowa City Public Library. Audiences ranged from undergraduate students to retired community members and represented a wonderful mix of interests.
Scoring the Screen: The Power of Music in Film, April 17, 2019 — Rebecca Fons, programming director of FilmScene, led cinema and music scholars Corey Creekmur and Nathan Platte, and local filmmaker Kaitlyn Busbee in conversation about how music is used in films ranging from Psycho to recent Marvel films.
Local Disabilities Initiatives, March 27, 2019 — Leaders from local organizations shared their work and issues that are pertinent to the Iowa City area. Speakers were Tammy Nyden, Johnson County Children’s Coalition; Michael Hoenig, UI Center for Disabilities & Development; Janet Schlapkohl, Combined Efforts; Sujit Singh, PATV; and Mary Helen Kennerly, Seen & Heard.
Multiple Pathways to Recovery: A Conversation about Addiction Research and Treatment Services, February 13, 2019 — Obermann Center Advisory Board member and College of Public Health faculty member Paul Gilbert spoke with Marvin Hain of the Coralville VA Outpatient Clinic and Steve Steine, a a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor, about current approaches to alcohol addiction treatment.
The U.S. / Mexico Border in Context, December 6, 2018 — With questions about events at the border in the headlines, we organized this “pop-up” conversation featuring two people who had recently visited the border, Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Religious Studies, and local attorney Yolanda Rivera. Lina-Maria Murillo (History and GWSS) and Rene Rocha (Political Science) provided historical context.
Photographing the Latina/o Experience in Iowa, November 7, 2018 — A team of Obermann Interdisciplinary Research Grant scholars, Gerta Bardhoshi, Jeremy Swanston, and Leslie Anne Locke, shared the photo-centered participatory research they are doing in Muscatine, IA, alongside artist Miriam Alarcón Avila’s “Luchadores Immigrants in Iowa” project.
Gerrymandering, Voter Registration, and Access to the Ballot, October 25, 2018 — Political scientist Tracy Osborn, grassroots organizer Sharon Lake, and president and legal advisor for the Iowa chapter of League of United Latin American Citizens, Andrew Bribriesco, discussed Iowa’s voter registration law, voter identification, gerrymandering, and lack of voting rights for felons.
Exploring Women in Sports and Title IX’s Legacy, September 25, 2018 — Diane Williams, a former Obermann Graduate Fellow and American Studies PhD candidate, spoke about Title IX’s history and the current way it is being enacted, along with local coach and lifelong athlete Megan Oesting.
