UI spring semester discusses how technology has changed our lives

In an age when even toasters can connect with the internet, when people get their news from Facebook and babies have Instagram accounts, our lives are increasingly digital.

Exploring what that means and how rapidly changing technology impacts the way we live is the focus of the University of Iowa’s 2017 theme semester, “Our Lives Online.” This will be the third theme semester the UI has hosted through the Provost’s Office of Outreach and Engagement. The theme semesters bring together faculty, students and community partners to examine one topic throughout the semester in classes, lectures and activities, many of which are open to the public. This year, that includes bringing two speakers to campus who have used the internet as a catalyst for activism.

On Feb. 6, #BlackLivesMatter co-creator Patrisse Cullors will visit campus to discuss her work. On Jan. 18, writer and activist Luvvie Ajayi will present a lecture on her use of comedy, activism and technology as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week. Linda Snetselaar, associate provost for outreach and engagement, said student ambassadors, who work with the theme semester’s planning committee, suggested the speakers.

“We want to do as much as we can with being sure we include diversity and a variety of speakers who will resonate with community partners but also with our students on campus,” she said. “One of the things we have done is involved student ambassadors, and they have a variety of ideas in terms of who might be valuable.”

The theme semester kicks off Jan. 17 with WorldCanvass, a panel discussion hosted by the UI’s International Programs. Seven panelists from the campus and the wider community will talk about social media, access, the power of influence, and new and rapidly changing technologies during the event, which is being filmed for viewing later online or as a podcast.

With such a broad topic, there are endless ways to think about the semester’s themes, said Joan Kjaer, director of communications and relations at the UI’s International Programs. — AP

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