Thursday Forum
Coe College invites you to participate in the Thursday Forum, a program for older adults who want to expand their knowledge in an academic setting. Throughout the academic year, forums explore a variety of topics through a blend of lecture, media and discussion.
Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.
Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and each session of two- and three-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/why-coe/events/thursday-forum.
In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.
Thursday Forum welcomes gifts to support the long-term vibrancy of the program. Gifts may be made at any time and in any amount online (for credit card payments) or by mail to Coe College Advancement Services, 1220 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 (please make checks to “Coe College” and indicate “Thursday Forum” in the memo line).
For more information about Thursday Forum, click the relevant links on this page, call 319.399.8523, or email thursdayforum@coe.edu.
2026-2027 Thursday Forum Season
The American Presidency
Bruce Nesmith, Professor Emeritus of Political Science
September 3, 10, 17, 24
“Fires:” Behind the Scenes of the Painting Exhibition of a Burmese-American Family
John Chaimov, Associate Professor of World Languages and Cultures
October 1
Amman and Beirut: A Century of Urban Change
Julie Fairbanks, Professor of Anthropology
October 8
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Melissa Sodeman, Professor of English
October 22, 29, November 5
These Shining Lives: Radium Girls in Life and Theatre
Emily Ganfield, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts
November 12
Is that Fair?: Using Mathematics to Address Social Questions and Decisions
Cal Van Niewaal, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and
John F. Yothers Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
November 19
Exploring Well-Being: Evidence-based Practices from Positive Psychology
Sam Brown, Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Associate Professor of Psychology
Ellen Lee, James Y. Canfield Associate Professor of Psychology
January 21 & 28
Dvořák and Iowa: Cultural Crossroads
William Carson, Alma A. Turecheck Professor of Music
February 4
The Many Stories of Glass
Mario Affatigato, Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Professor of Physics
February 11, 18, 25
Hamlet at the Movies
Gina Hausknecht, John William King Professor of Literature and Creative Writing
March 4, 11, 25
The Manufactured Mind: Freud, Bernays, Propaganda and Post-Truthism
Michael Leonardo, Heins-Johnson Professor of Biology
April 1, 8, 15
Reflections on an English-Style Perennial Flower Garden
in Iowa
Bob Marrs, Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and Coe Alumni House Gardener
April 22 & 29