In-person Thursday Forum lectures return for the 2021-2022 year
Coe College is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 Thursday Forum lecture schedule. The lecture series is for older adults seeking to expand their knowledge in an academic setting. Throughout the academic year, the forums will explore topics in music, science, politics, literature and education using a blend of lecture, media and discussion.
Over 30 years, Coe College has presented more than 150 different speakers during Thursday Forum to create one-of-a-kind opportunities for the Cedar Rapids community. This year, 12 Coe faculty speakers will present the following lectures:
- September 2, 9, 16 and 23: Film Music, Concert Music and the Hollywood Connection - Over the course of this four-week forum, Instructor and Teaching Artist in Music Alan Lawrence will explore significant milestones in film music of the past century. Through film clips and audio recordings, audience members will learn about important film composers, such as Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann, and the connections between concert and film music.
- September 30, October 7, 14 and 21: Jane Austen, Then and Now - This four-week forum will explore the literary and cultural importance of Jane Austen, one of Britain’s most celebrated novelists, by introducing and examining Austen’s life and literary works. Associate Professor of English Melissa Sodeman and audience members will assess the scope of Austen’s accomplishments and why her works continue to captivate and inspire the world.
- October 28 and November 4: The Science and Politics of Pandemics - This two-week forum, led jointly by Ben Peterson Professor of Chemistry Maria Dean and Professor of Political Science Lynda Barrow, will examine a variety of compelling scientific and political questions regarding pandemics past and present from the vantage points of a biochemist and a political scientist.
- November 11 and 18: The Past, Present and Future of Biodiversity - In this two-week forum, Assistant Professor of Biology Daniel Hughes will provide attendees with an overview of biodiversity research, from the origins of conservation biology to the contemporary climate and extinction crises. Integrating his own research on biodiversity in Central Africa and eastern Iowa, Dr. Hughes will offer a variety of examples and perspectives about the range of threats to biodiversity and the actions that can be taken to conserve species for future generations.
- February 3, 10, 17 and 24: The International Year of Glass - The United Nations declared 2022 the International Year of Glass to celebrate “the essential role glass has and will continue to have in society,” including its tremendous technological, scientific, economic, historical and artistic importance. In this four-week forum, professors from the Coe Physics Department will highlight the important role glass and glass research play in our daily lives.
- March 3, 10, 24 and 31: Teaching and Learning Inside: The Transformative Potential of College-in-Prison Programs - This four-week forum with John William King Professor of Literature & Creative Writing Gina Hausknecht will examine the debate surrounding national and local rehabilitative programs that promote education and the arts in prisons, such as the pioneering Bard Prison Initiative and the Liberal Arts Beyond Bars college-in-prison program at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center.
- April 7, 14, 21 and 28: BREXIT: Why, How and What Now - In 2016, the British public voted to withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), an action that has destroyed political careers, strained international relations and triggered constitutional crises and acrimonious public and Parliamentary debates. This series with Joan and Abbott Lipsky Professor of Political Science Kimberly Lanegran will explore what BREXIT is and why it matters to the world.
In-person forum sessions are held Thursday mornings in Kesler Lecture Hall of Hickok Hall on the Coe College campus. Each session begins with registration from 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM, followed by the presentation until 11:30 AM.
Admission to each four-week course can be purchased at the door or in advance. For more details or information, visit www.coe.edu/thursday-forum or call 319.399.8523.
Coe College offers superb academics and exciting co-curricular activities in a thriving urban setting that promotes student growth and success. Established in 1851, Coe has a national reputation for academic excellence enhanced by a student-centered, highly supportive campus environment. Coe’s vibrant Cedar Rapids location provides an abundance of internships for students and career opportunities for graduates.