Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Lauren Katalinich

2015 Provost's Global Forum features international scholars at public events April 28 - May 1

This month, the University of Iowa will host experts and researchers from around the world as part of the 2015 Provost’s Global Forum, "The Arab Spring in a Global Context." Scholars from a variety of academic disciplines will examine a range of issues including social change and justice, racial/ethnic and gender relations, law, public policy, media, and economic development in the context of the Arab Spring. This four-day, multi-event conference will take place Tuesday, April 28, through Friday, May 1.

A WorldCanvass discussion at FilmScene on Tuesday, April 28, from 5-6:30 p.m., will kick off the forum and offer an introduction to several of the conference's keynote speakers including internationally-renowned Middle East scholars Juan Cole, Mohammed el-Nawawy, Shibley Telhami, Sahar Khamis, and conference organizer, Ahmed Souaiaia.

Old Capitol Exhibit


A display from the University Libraries' exhibition in the Old Capitol, "Unfinished Business: The Arts of the New Arab Revolutions," which will run until May 15. 

For more information on the presentations and people involved in the forum, visit international.uiowa.edu/arab-spring

Additional events of the forum include:

  • An open media event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., in 1117 University Capitol Centre, for members of the media to interview presenters and panelists.
  • A gallery talk on Wednesday, April 29, will walk guests through the University Libraries’ exhibit, “Unfinished Business: The Arts of the New Arab Revolutions,” which is on display at the Old Capitol Museum from now until May 15.
  • Directly following the gallery talk, Shibley Telhami will present the Joel Barkan Memorial Lecture at 6:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber of the Old Capitol Museum. Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
  • Keynote addresses and panel discussions will take place on Thursday and Friday, April 30 and May 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Hotel Vetro.
  • The forum will close with a performance by the Turkish-American musical group Turkana at 8:00 p.m. at The Mill Restaurant.

All events are free and open to the public. 

The Provost’s Global Forum is made possible through the generous support of the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization. Other UI sponsors include: International Programs; Office of the Provost; Division of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures; Department of Communication Studies; School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Department of Political Science; Department of Religious Studies; Libraries; and the Center for Human Rights. WorldCanvass program partners are FilmScene and UITV. 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in these events, contact Sarolta Petersen in advance at sarolta-petersen@uiowa.edu or 319-335-3862.