Indiana University Bloomington

Campus Link Newsletter

Spring 2012

Fourth Annual Themester Examines Good Behavior and Bad

Each fall, Themester, an initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences, tackles an important issue that students will face their whole lives and examines this issue inside and outside the classroom. In its fourth year, Themester asks students, faculty, staff and community members to engage in a cross-disciplinary examination of Good Behavior, Bad Behavior: Molecules to Morality.

Over forty courses across more than twenty disciplines serve as the foundation of Themester. Students can explore issues of good and bad behavior in courses as wide-ranging as Indigenous Archaeology, Ethics in Science, Roman Law and Early Plays of Shakespeare. Students in Themester classes are invited to present their research at an undergraduate research symposium to be held at the end of the fall semester.

Each week of the fall semester brings events designed to complement the courses and address different facets of the theme. Most Themester events will be free and open to students as well as the general public.

The Themester committee is working with community and campus partners to organize activities such as exhibitions, panel discussions, film screenings, and public lectures. Past Themesters have brought such notable figures as Wendell Barry, Barry Lopez, Garry Trudeau, Tim O’Brien and Madeleine Albright to campus.

IU Theatre will complement this year’s theme with Richard III, When the Rain Stops Falling and God of Carnage while local professional theatre group Cardinal Stage presents To Kill a Mockingbird, a play based on Harper Lee’s novel. Tickets for all theatre performances will be available at a discounted student rate.

A calendar of public events is being created and will be updated online through spring and summer. For more information, see http://themester.indiana.edu/ or join us on Facebook at IUBthemester. To receive emailed updates about events, contact themes@indiana.edu.