Tuesday, 02 Nov 2021
Mecca and the Hajj under Quarantine from Cholera to COVID-19
In light of our current global crisis with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its role in Saudi Arabia's difficult decision to dramatically restrict hajj, umrah, and tourism travel in 2020 and 2021, the relevance of Mecca's pandemic past raises urgent new questions for understanding the present and future of pilgrimage management and even wider questions of mass mobility, tourism, travel restrictions, and border management.
Thursday, 04 Nov 2021
Minorities Report: Indigenous Peoples in Socialist and Post-Socialist China
What are "indigenous peoples" in China, and what are their worlds like? How did the Ming and Qing states manage non-Han indigenous peoples through the native hereditary chieftain system (known as the tusi system)? How did the socialist state create a nation of 56 nationalities, and what were its policies towards so-called "minority nationalities?" Erik Mueggler, University of Michigan, will deliver the Phi Beta Kappa Lecture.
Tuesday, 09 Nov 2021
Uncles Sam Wants Who? Women, Men, and the Meaning of American Selective Service
Why is the question of whether women, just like men, should register with Selective Service controversial? Amy J. Rutenberg will discuss the current push for women to register in the context of the different meanings Americans have attributed to military service and the draft, over time.
Thursday, 11 Nov 2021
Lecture: What Race Is, What It Is Not, and Why It Matters
"Race" as we use it is not a biological category. Nor is there a "natural" explanation for why race relations are often difficult, but there are lots of interesting social, political, psychological, and historical ones. Agustin Fuentes is a Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University researching human evolution, multispecies anthropology, and structures of race and racism.
Friday, 12 Nov 2021
Lecture: Cracks in Your Character
Anthony Sardella is the Founder and Vice-Chairman of evolve24, a company he founded in 2004. He guides the company's advancements in artificial intelligence, data, and decision sciences. evolve24 is a leader in predictive analytics and decision sciences that drives greater certainty in strategic decision making. This is part of the ISU Student Innovation Center noon talks.
Tuesday, 16 Nov 2021
Lecture: Immigration and Sino-U.S. Foreign Relations
Through the lens of Chinese immigration and its regulation, this lecture explores key values and approaches applied by the U.S. government in managing racial and cultural diversity in its population and how immigration policy interacts with economic and international relations priorities.
Thursday, 18 Nov 2021
Lecture: Soil Erosion in Biochemical Cycling of Essential Elements
Dr. Asmeret Berhe will discuss how the accurate estimation of the global soil carbon stock and the potential of soils to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide are complicated by the effects of soil redistribution on both net primary productivity and decomposition.
Friday, 19 Nov 2021
Flagship Friday Innovators Forum: Crying in the Bathroom
"Crying in the Bathroom," Ana Pinto da Silva, CEO and co-founder of Minka, a radical alternative to traditional senior housing, building intergenerational communities that seek to strengthen connections, improve health and increase wellbeing.