Provost's Global Forum 2015
April 28 - May 1
The Provost's Global Forum will kick off with a live WorldCanvass show on Tuesday, April 28. Hosted by Joan Kjaer, the show will introduce the audience to many of the forum's keynote speakers as they discuss their personal work and research areas related to the Arab Spring.
The wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring may have changed or at least challenged the relationship between the governed and governing actors not only in Arab countries but in other societies with Muslim people around the world. New legal regimes may now navigate sectarian, gender, and religious fault lines in differing ways. Emerging issues and changing circumstances are providing scholars from all academic disciplines with opportunities to apply and/or revise old theories and produce a body of new knowledge about issues of social change, social justice, racial/ethnic and gender relations, the law, public policy, economic development, and international politics in a global context.
The forum is an opportunity for public engagement and the exchange and sharing of ideas for scholars from all disciplines including: area studies (international studies, Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, African studies, and Eurasian studies), business, health sciences, journalism and mass communication, social sciences (anthropology, political science, psychology, and sociology), humanities (arts, cultural studies, history, gender and race, linguistics and literature, philosophy, religious studies, and rhetoric), education, and law.
Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, will deliver the Joel Barkan Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m., in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber. On April 30 and May 1, the forum will feature the presentation of research papers and reports, roundtable conversations, and panel discussions. The forum will also feature musical performances, book exhibits, film and documentary screenings, the taping of an interview-format television show, and art and document displays.
Schedule of Events
| Date & Time | Arab Spring in a Global Context | Location |
| Now – May 15, 2015 | University Libraries Exhibit - Unfinished Business: The Arts of the New Arab Revolutions | Old Capitol Museum, 2nd floor gallery |
| TUES, APRIL 28, 2015 | ||
| 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm | WorldCanvass Televised Show | FilmScene, 118 East College Street, Iowa City |
| WED, APRIL 29, 2015 | ||
| 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm | Gallery Talk: "Unfinished Business: The Arts of the New Arab Revolutions," presented by Rachel Winter | University of Iowa Senate Chamber Old Capitol Museum |
| 6:30 pm | JOEL BARKAN MEMORIAL LECTURE Presentation by Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution | University of Iowa Senate Chamber, 2nd floor of Old Capitol Museum |
| THURS, APRIL 30, 2015 | ||
| 7:30 am | Check-in | UCC 2520D |
| 8:15 am | Welcome and opening remarks by Downing Thomas (Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs) | UCC 2520D |
| 8:30 am | Keynote Presenter: As’ad AbuKhalil (Professor of Political Science at California State University) AbuKhalil is the author of Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (1998), Bin Laden, Islam & America's New "War on Terrorism" (2002), and The Battle for Saudi Arabia (2004). He maintains a blog, The Angry Arab News Service | UCC 2520D |
| 9:00 am | Globalization, Technology, and Political Mobilization - Multiple Presentations | UCC 2520D |
| 10:30 am | Coffee Break | |
| 10:45 am | The New Arab Revolutions in Historical Perspective – Multiple Presentations | UCC 2520D |
| 12:15 pm | Lunch break on your own | |
| 1:15 pm | Keynote Presenter: Sahar Khamis (Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Maryland). She is an expert on Arab and Muslim media, and the former Head of the Mass Communication and Information Science Department in Qatar University. Dr. Khamis holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester in England.. She is the co-author of the books: "Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace" and "Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism" | UCC 2520D |
| 1:45 pm | The Egyptian Revolution and Social Change – Multiple Presentations | UCC 2520D |
| 3:15 pm | Coffee Break | UCC 2520D |
| 3:30 pm | Spring in the Maghrib – Multiple Presentations | |
| 5:00 pm | Roundtable: undergraduate discussion of Juan Cole’s, The New Arabs | UCC 2520D |
| 6:00 pm | Adjourn | |
| FRI, MAY 1, 2015 | ||
| 7:30 am | Check in | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 8:15 am | Welcome and opening remarks by Barry Butler (University of Iowa Executive Vice President and Provost) | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 8:30 am | Keynote Presenter: Mohammed el-Nawawy (Professor of International Communication and Middle Eastern Studies at Queens University of Charlotte). Author and expertise in the areas of new media, particularly satellite channels and the Internet, and their impact on the global public sphere in general and the Arab public sphere in particular. President of the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators. | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 9:00 am | Creating the Archive: Cultural Memory and the Arts of Revolution – Multiple Presentations | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 10:30 am | Coffee Break | |
| 10:45 am | Spring in the Gulf – Multiple Presentations | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 12:15 pm | Lunch break on your own | |
| 1:15 pm | Keynote Presenter: Juan Cole (Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan). American academic and commentator on the modern Middle East and South Asia. Since 2002, he has written a weblog, Informed Comment (juancole.com) which is also syndicated on Truthdig.com. | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 1:45 pm | The Arab Spring in International Perspective – Multiple Presentations | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 3:00 pm | Roundtable (Juan Cole, Sahar Khamis, Mohammed el-Nawawy, As’ad AbuKhalil) | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 4:50 pm | Final Remarks | Hotel Vetro 2nd Floor Ballroom |
| 5:10 pm | Adjourn | |
| 8:00 pm | Turkana Music Performance | The Mill Restaurant, 120 East Burlington Street, Iowa City |
Forum Staff and Sponsors
Ahmed E. Souaiaia, the recipient of this year’s Provost’s Global Forum Award, is a faculty member at the University of Iowa with joint appointment in Religious Studies, International Studies, and College of Law, with teaching and research interests focusing on the Arab Spring.
Forum Planning Committee:
Edward Minor (Chair), Paul Dilley, Ari Ariel, and Yoko Nakamura
Exhibits:
Title: Unfinished Business: The Arts of the New Arab Revolutions
Curator: Edward Miner
Location: Old Capitol Museum, Second Floor Rotunda
Time: Monday, February 16, 2015 to Sunday, August 2, 2015
Media and Public Relations:
Joan Kjaer, WorldCanvass
Lauren Katalinich
Adam Tisdale
Events and Project Specialists
Sarolta Petersen and Shereena Honary
Sponsors:
This forum is made possible through the support of International Programs; the Stanley UI-Foundation Support Organization; the Division of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures; the Department of Communication Studies; the School of Journalism and Mass Communication; the Department of Political Science; the Department of Religious Studies; UI Libraries; and the UI Center for Human Rights
Contacts
Sarolta Petersen
Events and Project Specialist
International Programs
319-335-3862
sarolta-petersen@uiowa.edu
Ahmed E. Souaiaia
Associate Professor, Islamic Studies
University of Iowa
ahmed-souaiaia@uiowa.edu