Join Kathy Lavezzo, professor of English, and William Rhodes, associate professor of English, for an evening exploring the enduring influence of the medieval world through their newest books. After the reading, Sarah Bond, associate professor of history, will moderate a conversation exploring the books' shared in medievalism’s lasting influence on later history and culture. This event is free and open to the public.

Lavezzo will read from her new book, Bad Medievalism and the Modernity Problem...

This public event will comprise a dance performance, an award ceremony, and a panel conversation featuring:

Stephanie Miracle, assistant professor, Department of Dance, and winner of the 2026 Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award

Deema Totah, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Eric Gidal, professor, Department of English

For each annual event in Obermann’s new Counterpoint series, two University of Iowa researchers from different disciplines will discuss a compelling...

Is there a burning topic in your discipline or a topic that cuts across disciplines that we should bring to campus? Is there a format for the conversation that can energize an intellectual community around that topic? That might be the perfect topic for an Obermann Symposium!

In addition to a compelling topic, we invite co-directors to propose national and international speakers who can offer richly diverse perspectives on the symposium theme. We also want to highlight the work of UI and local...