Coe College has been awarded an Iowa Humanities Project Grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs in support of Lives Behind Bars: A Film Discussion Series. The free series is open to the public and will be hosted at Coe College with the goal of creating conversation about the impact of incarceration on individuals and their communities.
Four documentary films will be the catalyst for conversation as they bring an array of perspectives on the experience of incarceration to the screen. The films are widely available through streaming services and local public libraries and also will be publicly screened. The first film will be “13th,” directed by Ava DuVernay and released in 2016.
Seventy-five-minute group film discussions will take place at 7 p.m. on the final Thursday of each month in March, May, July and September in Hickok Hall on Coe’s campus. Each film may be viewed in Kesler Auditorium in Hickok Hall at 2 p.m. on the Sunday before that month’s discussion if unable to be viewed individually. A final wrap-up discussion will be in October.
The series is appropriate for older teens and beyond, and attendees are not obligated to attend every session.
Gina Hausknecht, the John William King Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, organized the series and has experience teaching inside Iowa’s prison system. Hausknecht will facilitate the first and final discussions of the series. Other moderators will be members of the Coe community.
“At a time when several facets of the criminal legal system are part of our civic discourse in Iowa, this public series will use a humanities-based approach to foster informed critical thinking about problems and solutions,” Hausknecht wrote when applying for the grant.
“The series as a whole will create a space for consideration of restorative and reparative alternatives to our current approaches to school discipline, community corrections and sentencing,” she added.
Reservations for the events within the series are requested but not required. Contact Beth Valenta at bvalenta@coe.edu or 319-399-8523 to reserve a spot for an individual or group. To learn more about the series and which films will be discussed or to make a reservation online, visit www.coe.edu/faculty-staff/lives-behind-bars-community-film-discussion-series.
Iowa Humanities Project Grants offer support for public projects that encourage contemplation, spark conversation and engage the community. Projects will use the humanities as the central resource to involve and benefit diverse groups of Iowans through educational programming that explore the human experience. Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Professor of Physics Mario Affatigato ’89 and Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean for Faculty Development Angela Ziskowski contributed to Coe’s grant application.
Support has been provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this discussion series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up