August 2020
Black Political Power in the US
featuring Christopher J. Clark, Associate Professor of Political Science Join us this semester as we bring Humanities in Action online! This series has long been our forum for “topics in the news,” and we continue that tradition with five talks that speak to challenges we face in America today, or subjects that are difficult to discuss in a heated political environment. Each lecture will be accompanied by a question and answer session with the presenter. Please be sure to…
Find out more »Brown Bag French Language Lunch
featuring Hannelore Jarausch, Teaching Professor Emerita, UNC Romance Studies Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our…
Find out more »September 2020
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – SOLD OUT
This Great Books class is sold out. Please email human@unc.edu with your First & Last name, and phone number to be added to the waitlist. featuring Henry Veggian, Teaching Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time Recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize for fiction ever awarded to a woman, The Age of Innocence paints a timeless portrait of “society” still unmatched in American literature—an…
Find out more »The Ethics of Pandemics
featuring James Thomas, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health Join us this semester as we bring Humanities in Action online! This series has long been our forum for “topics in the news,” and we continue that tradition with five talks that speak to challenges we face in America today, or subjects that are difficult to discuss in a heated political environment. Each lecture will be accompanied by a question and answer session with the presenter. Please…
Find out more »Brown Bag Italian Language Lunch
featuring Jennifer Mackenzie, Assistant Professor of Italian Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – SOLD OUT
This Great Books class is sold out. Please email human@unc.edu with your First & Last name, and phone number to be added to the waitlist. featuring Henry Veggian, Teaching Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time Recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize for fiction ever awarded to a woman, The Age of Innocence paints a timeless portrait of “society” still unmatched in American literature—an…
Find out more »How World War II Spread Across the Globe in 1941: Africa, Russia, and the United States
A Distinguished Scholar Webinar featuring Gerhard L. Weinberg The Second World War became a truly global conflict in 1941, as the struggle between Axis and Allied forces spread into the deserts of North Africa, the vast territories of the Soviet Union, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The expanding battles caused immense death, destruction and disruption, and both Germany and Japan seemed to be advancing everywhere. The Axis attacks on the Soviet Union and the United States brought two…
Find out more »Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
featuring David M. Monje, Teaching Assistant Professor of Communication The Classic that Launched the Environmental Movement TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century The outcry that followed Silent Spring's publication in 1962 forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It…
Find out more »The Public University and American Democracy
featuring Andrew J. Perrin, Professor of Sociology and Ruel W. Tyson Distinguished Professor of the Humanities/Director, Institute for the Arts and Humanities Join us this semester as we bring Humanities in Action online! This series has long been our forum for “topics in the news,” and we continue that tradition with five talks that speak to challenges we face in America today, or subjects that are difficult to discuss in a heated political environment. Each lecture will be accompanied…
Find out more »Brown Bag German Language Lunch
featuring Gabriel Trop, Associate Professor of German Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
Find out more »Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman
featuring Eren Tasar, Associate Professor of History Grossman's great moral reckoning with the crimes of Stalinism Everything Flows is Vasily Grossman’s final testament, written after the Soviet authorities suppressed his masterpiece, Life and Fate. The main story is simple: released after thirty years in the Soviet camps, Ivan Grigoryevich must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. But in a novel that seeks to take in the whole tragedy of Soviet history, Ivan’s story is…
Find out more »The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
Find out more »The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
Find out more »The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
Find out more »The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
Find out more »Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman
featuring Eren Tasar, Associate Professor of History Grossman's great moral reckoning with the crimes of Stalinism Everything Flows is Vasily Grossman’s final testament, written after the Soviet authorities suppressed his masterpiece, Life and Fate. The main story is simple: released after thirty years in the Soviet camps, Ivan Grigoryevich must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. But in a novel that seeks to take in the whole tragedy of Soviet history, Ivan’s story is…
Find out more »Historical (In)justice and Memory Today: Genocide, Colonialism, and the Contested Past
featuring A. Dirk Moses, Frank Porter Graham Distinguished Professor of Global Human Rights History Join us this semester as we bring Humanities in Action online! This series has long been our forum for “topics in the news,” and we continue that tradition with five talks that speak to challenges we face in America today, or subjects that are difficult to discuss in a heated political environment. Each lecture will be accompanied by a question and answer session with the…
Find out more »October 2020
Brown Bag Italian Language Lunch
featuring Jennifer Mackenzie, Assistant Professor of Italian Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »Brown Bag French Language Lunch
featuring Hannelore Jarausch, Teaching Professor Emerita, UNC Romance Studies Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our…
Find out more »Polarization and Presidential Elections that Divided America
Contemporary American politics and public debates have become highly polarized, raising concerns about how a democratic political culture can be sustained amid such partisan anger. This is not the first era of extreme partisan division, however, and this seminar examines previous political conflicts that can help us understand how current polarizations resemble or differ from the divisiveness of past elections. How did Americans respond to emotionally charged political campaigns in the pivotal elections of 1800 (Jefferson vs. Adams), 1860 (Lincoln vs.…
Find out more »Polarization and Presidential Elections that Divided America
Contemporary American politics and public debates have become highly polarized, raising concerns about how a democratic political culture can be sustained amid such partisan anger. This is not the first era of extreme partisan division, however, and this seminar examines previous political conflicts that can help us understand how current polarizations resemble or differ from the divisiveness of past elections. How did Americans respond to emotionally charged political campaigns in the pivotal elections of 1800 (Jefferson vs. Adams), 1860 (Lincoln vs.…
Find out more »Being There by Jerzy Kosinski
This Great Books class is sold out. Please email human@unc.edu with your First & Last name, and phone number to be added to the waitlist. featuring Eliza Rose, Assistant Professor of Central European Studies A modern classic as wise and timely as ever Being There is the story of a mysterious man who finds himself at the center of Wall Street and Washington power—including his role as a policy adviser to the president—despite the fact that no one is quite…
Find out more »Polarization and Presidential Elections that Divided America
Contemporary American politics and public debates have become highly polarized, raising concerns about how a democratic political culture can be sustained amid such partisan anger. This is not the first era of extreme partisan division, however, and this seminar examines previous political conflicts that can help us understand how current polarizations resemble or differ from the divisiveness of past elections. How did Americans respond to emotionally charged political campaigns in the pivotal elections of 1800 (Jefferson vs. Adams), 1860 (Lincoln vs.…
Find out more »Polarization and Presidential Elections that Divided America
Contemporary American politics and public debates have become highly polarized, raising concerns about how a democratic political culture can be sustained amid such partisan anger. This is not the first era of extreme partisan division, however, and this seminar examines previous political conflicts that can help us understand how current polarizations resemble or differ from the divisiveness of past elections. How did Americans respond to emotionally charged political campaigns in the pivotal elections of 1800 (Jefferson vs. Adams), 1860 (Lincoln vs.…
Find out more »Erasures: Black History, Black Newspapers, and Digitization
featuring Lyneise Williams, Associate Professor of Art History Join us this semester as we bring Humanities in Action online! This series has long been our forum for “topics in the news,” and we continue that tradition with five talks that speak to challenges we face in America today, or subjects that are difficult to discuss in a heated political environment. Each lecture will be accompanied by a question and answer session with the presenter. Please be sure to verify…
Find out more »Brown Bag German Language Lunch
featuring Christina Weiler, Teaching Assistant Professor of German Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion.…
Find out more »Cities of Music: Vienna and Nashville
Cities usually become influential because of their economic or political prominence in national histories, but they can also become famous symbols for cultural and artistic creativity. This seminar focuses on two very different cities that share a reputation for exceptional musical cultures. Since the post-1780 era of Mozart and Schubert, Vienna has been known as a city of great classical composers, and twentieth-century Nashville became equally prominent as the center of country music and the Grand ole Opry. This Dialogues seminar will analyze…
Find out more »The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
featuring Pamela Cooper, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature The novel that put Atwood on the literary map The Edible Woman is both a scathingly funny satire of consumerism and a heady exploration of emotional cannibalism. Marked by blazingly surreal humor and a colorful cast of eccentric characters, it is a groundbreaking work of fiction. — Penguin Random House, Inc. A brilliant and powerful work rich in irony and metaphor, The Edible Woman is an unforgettable masterpiece by a…
Find out more »Brown Bag Italian Language Lunch
featuring Jennifer Mackenzie, Assistant Professor of Italian Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »November 2020
Brown Bag French Language Lunch
featuring Jessica Tanner, Assistant Professor of French Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
featuring Pamela Cooper, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature The novel that put Atwood on the literary map The Edible Woman is both a scathingly funny satire of consumerism and a heady exploration of emotional cannibalism. Marked by blazingly surreal humor and a colorful cast of eccentric characters, it is a groundbreaking work of fiction. — Penguin Random House, Inc. A brilliant and powerful work rich in irony and metaphor, The Edible Woman is an unforgettable masterpiece by a…
Find out more »Heaven and Hell: Ancient Ideas about the Afterlife (encore)
A Distinguished Scholar Webinar featuring Bart D. Ehrman According to the most recent Pew Research Poll, 72 percent of all Americans believe in a literal heaven as a place of eternal blessing for departed souls, while 58 percent believe in a literal hell and its eternal torments. Although Christians have believed these ideas for centuries, they are not taught in the Old Testament or in the teachings of the historical Jesus. So where did they come from? Were they simply…
Find out more »Heaven and Hell: Ancient Ideas about the Afterlife (encore)
A Distinguished Scholar Webinar featuring Bart D. Ehrman According to the most recent Pew Research Poll, 72 percent of all Americans believe in a literal heaven as a place of eternal blessing for departed souls, while 58 percent believe in a literal hell and its eternal torments. Although Christians have believed these ideas for centuries, they are not taught in the Old Testament or in the teachings of the historical Jesus. So where did they come from? Were they simply…
Find out more »Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
featuring Nadia Yaqub, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies First writer in Arabic to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature Widely acclaimed as Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz’s best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. No other novel so vividly evokes the sights and sounds of the city. Never has his talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of one small…
Find out more »Brown Bag German Language Lunch
featuring Christina Weiler, Teaching Assistant Professor of German Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion.…
Find out more »Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
featuring Nadia Yaqub, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies First writer in Arabic to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature Widely acclaimed as Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz’s best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. No other novel so vividly evokes the sights and sounds of the city. Never has his talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of one small…
Find out more »December 2020
Njal’s Saga by Anonymous
featuring Paul Roberge, Professor of Germanic Languages and Professor of Linguistics Considered the greatest of the Icelandic sagas Written in the thirteenth century, Njal’s Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems—from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law’s inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal’s Saga…
Find out more »Brown Bag French Language Lunch
featuring Jessica Tanner, Assistant Professor of French Interested in polishing or refreshing your foreign language speaking skills in a warm and welcoming virtual environment? Bring your own brown bag lunch to any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and join UNC faculty discussion leaders for a lunch over Zoom chat where participants are encouraged to speak only in a foreign language. All participants will receive a short foreign language article prior to the lunch that will serve as the foundation for our discussion. Language…
Find out more »Njal’s Saga by Anonymous
featuring Paul Roberge, Professor of Germanic Languages and Professor of Linguistics Considered the greatest of the Icelandic sagas Written in the thirteenth century, Njal’s Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems—from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law’s inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal’s Saga…
Find out more »