IU Themester

College of Arts + Sciences

The Indiana University, College of Arts and Sciences's Themester program is a focused and multi-faceted inquiry into a variety of topics that change each fall semester. It fosters the exchange of ideas and connects the issues our faculty teach in the classroom to our students’ lives through courses, lectures, exhibits, films, and more.

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Top 10 IU Themester Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best IU Themester episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to IU Themester for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite IU Themester episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

A Thing of Beauty – Spider Web

IU Themester

09/07/16 • 29 min

Biologist and photographer Roger Hangarter and artist and curator Betsy Stirratt are long-time collaborators who share an idea of beauty as an experience found in nature. Together they discuss a photograph of a spider web taken by Hangarter during an ordinary walk in the woods. They examine beauty as a phenomenon that inspires both scientists and artists, and find common ground in the pursuit of mystery and light.

Good Mourning

IU Themester

10/01/19 • 32 min

Dr. Robert Dobler talks about the myriad ways that we grieve. He describes how we can see shrines and altars all around us from vinyl records to Facebook posts. This is an episode from the Remembering and Forgetting Podcast series presented by Themester and the College of Arts and Sciences of Indiana University.

A Thing of Beauty – Falsified Beauty

IU Themester

09/06/16 • 30 min

A recent encounter with a gorgeously illustrated compilation of Shakespeare forgeries, housed in IU’s Lilly Library, prompts MacKay’s strange tale of falsified beauty. In the years following the “discovery” (around 1795) of William Henry Ireland’s forged manuscripts, their presence played a surprising role in the construction of an idealized vision of Shakespeare that is still embraced today.

Racial Violence: A Continuum

IU Themester

09/14/20 • 31 min

In part one of a two-part conversation, Dr. Rasul Mowatt (Indiana University) discusses the eleven forms of racial violence on a continuum, from what is intolerable to what is impossible to conceive.

Identity of a Black Woman

IU Themester

10/11/22 • 34 min

In this episode, Dr. Amrita Chakrabarti Myers of Indiana University discusses her IU course "Wenches, Witches and Welfare Queens," and the evolution of the black woman stereotype in media. Myers comments what it means to change those stereotypes in today's society, and what can be done to include the correct representation in the ever-changing media. This conversation took place June 13, 2022.

Rats!

IU Themester

09/27/18 • 20 min

Dr. Jonathan Crystal wants to know how rats think. Dr. Crystal is a professor in the Department of psychological and Brain Sciences, and he studies how rats think and learn and how they’re affected by degenerative neurological diseases. He hopes to use this information to better understand how those neurological issues, such as Alzheimer’s, affect humans.

“Petted Things”

IU Themester

09/27/18 • 22 min

Dr. Ivan Kreilkamp studies pets. As a professor in the English Department, he researches animal representation in Victorian-era literature, with a special focus on the domestication of dogs and other pets. He also studies the earliest days of the animal rights movement and how it influenced literature of the era (and vice versa).

Queerness in Rural America, part 2

IU Themester

11/10/22 • 30 min

Part 2 of 2. Dr. Colin Johnson discusses the long progression of LGBTQIA+ identity in the United States and breaks down the development of queer theory. Johnson further explains the difference between urban and rural societies' viewpoints on queer culture, and how being queer in rural America isn't always what we think.

Queerness in Rural America, part 1

IU Themester

11/10/22 • 24 min

Part 1 of a 2. In these episodes, Dr. Colin Johnson of Indiana University's Department of Gender Studies discusses the long progression of LGBTQIA+ identity in the United States and breaks down the development of queer theory. Johnson further explains the difference between urban and rural societies' viewpoints on queer culture, and how being queer in rural America isn't always what we think.

A Thing of Beauty – The Milky Way

IU Themester

09/06/16 • 31 min

A professed historian of the Milky Way, astronomer Catherine Pilachowski exalts the beauty of the ancient spiral galaxy that we call – at least in a galactic sense – home. She describes the glorious physical beauty of the Milky Way, and the beauty inherent in the work of science that leads to new knowledge of its history and future.

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FAQ

How many episodes does IU Themester have?

IU Themester currently has 41 episodes available.

What topics does IU Themester cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on IU Themester?

The episode title 'Memory in Motion' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on IU Themester?

The average episode length on IU Themester is 28 minutes.

How often are episodes of IU Themester released?

Episodes of IU Themester are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of IU Themester?

The first episode of IU Themester was released on Sep 5, 2016.

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IU Themester

College of Arts + Sciences

Top 10 IU Themester Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does IU Themester have?

What topics does IU Themester cover?

What is the most popular episode on IU Themester?

What is the average episode length on IU Themester?

How often are episodes of IU Themester released?

When was the first episode of IU Themester?

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