For the second event of Homerathon Week 2025, Eta Sigma Phi, our Classical Honors Society, is hosting a screening of the highly-acclaimed filmed based on Homer's timeless epic poem, the Odyssey. All are welcome to attend this free event.

Starting at 9 am, we will be reading the entire Odyssey over the course of 12 hours! There are very few works in history that have had the impact of the Odyssey. Audiences have enjoyed the work for centuries and innumerable artists have invoked the story and its characters in their own pieces, leaving a mark on the western canon the size of the Grand Canyon. Stop by the Ped Mall (just off E. Washington St.) and soak up the magic, heroism, love, and grief in the audience, or sign up for a slot to...

Rapid Response History offers historical and scholarly perspectives on current events. This spring, we examine the implications and historical background of “Project 2025” as a blueprint for political transition, and for the policies of the second Trump Administration. Scholars will examine a range of topics, including social policy, the federal civil service, immigration, native policy, energy and the environment, reproductive rights, and antisemitism. All sessions are open to the public...

History majors and minors are invited to the annual Senior Send-off! Join us for a food and fun to celebrate another wonderful year. We'll announce departmental awards and recognize the accomplishments of our amazing undergraduates. You don't have to RSVP, but it helps for planning! Click here to let us know if you plan to attend.

Join us for a thought-provoking and timely panel discussion in partnership with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, featuring esteemed representatives from the Stanley Museum of Art, the Pentacrest Museums, and the Office of the State Archaeologist.Together, they will explore the University of Iowa’s leadership and evolving practices in the restitution and repatriation of African and Indigenous American cultural objects. This conversation sheds light on the critical role of institutions in...

Mellon Research staff, Dr. Peju Layiwola, Fernanda Campos, and Abigail Minor will present their work and examine the questions that lie at the core of provenance research.

Ciraj Rassool, PhD is Senior Professor of Historical Studies at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, and director of the African Programme in Museum and Heritage Studies. He has published widely on changing old museums & making new museums, race in museums, restitution, political movements and the politics of nonracialism. He served on the boards of the District Six Museum & Iziko Museums of South Africa and is a member of the South African National Advisory Board for Restitution...

Rapid Response History offers historical and scholarly perspectives on current events. This spring, we examine the implications and historical background of “Project 2025” as a blueprint for political transition, and for the policies of the second Trump Administration. Scholars will examine a range of topics, including social policy, the federal civil service, immigration, native policy, energy and the environment, reproductive rights, and antisemitism. All sessions are open to the public...

Join us for four discussions of Toni Morrison's Beloved and the exhibition it's a fine thing, led by the Stanley’s curator of special projects and author of What Napoleon Could Not Do, Derek (DK) Nnuro.Register for each session by clicking the dates below, capped at 30 participants: Feb. 15 (Pages 1 - 59)March 8 (Pages 60 - 195)April 5 (Pages 199 - 277)May 10 (Pages 281 - 324)Iowa City is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the 2023-2024 NEA Big Read. From February to May, our...

This program offers companionship and accountability to University of Iowa artists, scholars, and researchers working on any kind of academic writing project (ex. academic articles/essays, fellowship or grant applications, dissertations, book projects, edited volumes, nonfiction) who want dedicated time, a cozy space, and a community for the practice of writing.In Summer 2025, two write-on-site groups will meet in our Writers' Attic at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at 111 Church St...