2011 Themester to explore concepts of war, peace

War and peace — two concepts completely at odds, yet forever connected.

The College of Arts and Sciences Fall 2011 Themester will explore this relationship through plays, courses, speakers and events with its theme “Making War, Making Peace.”

The Themester will address questions like why we should go to war, what counts as war and peace in a particular culture and how our concept of war affects our concept of peace.

While Themester is an initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is meant to spread to the rest of campus through partnerships with other departments such as the IU Art Museum, the Kelley School of Business and the Mauer School of Law, Themester Coordinator Tracy Bee said.

“The Themester is meant to incorporate important issues and concerns of our time,” she said. “Students in college haven’t spent a lot of time without war.”

The initiative was started in 2009 in an effort to engage students and community members in research and exploration of a single,
complex topic.

The effort is made every year to pick a topic that is timely, Jocelyn Bowie, director of communications and marketing for the college, said. Previous topics have touched on sustainability and evolution.

“We look at what’s happening in the world and what we have to offer,” she said. “With the theme of ‘war and peace,’ we could not have foreseen what happened with Osama bin Laden. It’s very timely.”

One of the events will be a visit from Pulitzer Prize finalist Tim O’Brien, author of “The Things They Carried” and “Going After Cacciato.” He will have a public reading, Bee said.

The Department of Theatre and Drama has participated in every Themester and this fall will put on “Hair,” “The Three Musketeers” and “Lysistrata.”

“We’re actually doing quite a bit with the Themester,” department chair Jonathan Michaelsen said. “I think ‘Hair’ is a great way to kick things off. ‘The Three Musketeers’ certainly has some elements of war and peace in it and ‘Lysistrata’ will close the Themester.”

The IU Cinema will present showings catered to the Themester with films like “Dr. Strangelove” and documentaries like “Fog and War.”

IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers said it’s their first year with the Themester and they have dedicated about 10 screening dates for Themester titles.

“This partnership with Themester fits our mission to partner with academic departments,” Vickers said.

While those titles have been specifically chosen for the Themester, other films will be shown that inadvertently fit in with the theme. For example, the class, “Cold War Cinema” will show three films that will fit the Themester, but aren’t funded by it.

“We try to reach across the entire university with the cinema,” Vickers said.
The Themester will include 40 courses across departments in the college, Bee said, but it can also be an educational experience for the city as a whole.

“Community members are encouraged to participate in public events,” Bee said.