Why Iowa?
Explore how American institutions, values, gender and ethnic relations, artifacts, popular and fine arts, and everyday life have developed over time to define what we know as America.
See yourself here
Critically examine the complex connections between past and present culture and history to understand the impact people have on American society.
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Prepare for a wide range of careers in the arts, education, and public service through interdisciplinary inquiry into the central role power and struggle have played in American culture.
News and announcements
4 University of Iowa students awarded Leona Zaharis Scholarship to study abroad
Monday, August 3, 2026
Four University of Iowa students have been awarded the Leona Zaharis Scholarship to support their study abroad experiences in summer and fall 2026.
Meet 4 doctoral students advancing research with Graduate College summer fellowships
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
This summer, 109 advanced doctoral candidates are participating in the Graduate College Summer Fellowship Program. Meet four students whose fellowship-supported research is deepening our understanding of neuroscience, dual language learning, product delivery optimization, and the rise of the gig economy.
Professor Eric Vazquez releases podcast "Political solidarity and state power"
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
The thwarted Central American revolutions during the latter half of the twentieth century marked a watershed in what had become a global anti-imperialist movement striving for a more egalitarian future. Examining a range of documentary, literary, and artistic works, including Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Héctor Tobar, Jennifer Harbury, and Horacio Castellanos Moya, States of Defeat looks at how left-wing intellectuals in the United States reckoned with the fallout from these defeats through wide-ranging creative expressions of indignation, cynicism, and grief.
