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Decoding Fertility Paradoxes in East Asia

CAC-IAH Fellow Ting Wang delivering a lecture on fertility paradoxes in East Asia

In November, the Carolina Asia Center and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities invited UNC Greensboro assistant professor Ting Wang to deliver a lecture about her research on fertility rates in East Asian countries.   In 2024, the IAH collaborated with the CAC to offer a non-residential fellowship from a North Carolina Minority-Serving Institution, with support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI gr … Read more



Ex Machina’s Interdisciplinary Triumph: Bridging Technology and the Humanities

Clara Yang's piano performance as part of Ex Machina's program.

When Clara Yang first submitted her project for the UNC music department’s biennial Festival on the Hill, she didn’t anticipate Ex Machina to become as large as it is has become. What began as a series of questions about machines and music has evolved into a groundbreaking multimedia performance.   Ex Machina is Yang’s interdisciplinary project exploring the intersection of technology and humanity. Reflecting on the … Read more



Mary Floyd-Wilson (FFP ’04, ALP ’10) Receives Johnson Prize for Distinguished Achievement

Mary Floyd-Wilson

Mary Floyd-Wilson (FFP ’04, ALP ’10), professor of English and a nationally recognized scholar of early modern English literature, has been named the 2024-2025 recipient of the George H. Johnson Prize for Distinguished Achievement by an IAH Fellow.   The award, given biennially by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, recognizes Floyd-Wilson’s distinguished scholarship, her deep commitment to the humanities, and … Read more



Q&A with IAH Advisory Board Member Reyna Walters-Morgan 

Headshot of Reyna Walters-Morgan smiling.

Since her time as an undergraduate at Carolina, IAH advisory board member Reyna Walters-Morgan (B.A. ’99, political science) has spent years protecting the right to vote.  Today, Walters-Morgan is a presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to her work at the DOJ, Walters-Morgan has worked at the Democratic National Committee and in private practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and more. Her con … Read more



Friday Award supports creative research in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Friday Award supports creative research in the Ecuadorian Amazon

A recipient of a William C. Friday Arts and Humanities Research Award from the Institute for the Arts and Humanities and Honors Carolina, Gabriela Valdivia (FFP ’15, ALP ’22) is focusing on the changes taking place on the banks of the vibrant Hollin River in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Friday Award is an opportunity for undergraduate students to assist former Faculty Fellows or Academic Leadership Fellows in their cur … Read more



What does AI mean for the future of the humanities?

Robert Newman, Rishi Jaitly, and Thomas Hofweber (FFP ’15, ’25) in conversation with Nithya Ruff in the session “Digital Humanities and AI.”

On September 21, Robert Newman, Rishi Jaitly, and Thomas Hofweber (FFP ’15, ’25) spoke in conversation with Nithya Ruff in the session “Digital Humanities and AI.” Institute for the Arts and Humanities Director Patricia Parker introduced the panel as a part of the Jaipur Literature Festival North Carolina, which was co-sponsored by the Institute.   Each speaker drew from their diverse expertise to offer insights on h … Read more



Nine researchers awarded Arts and Humanities Research Grants

Collage of the nine researchers awarded the Arts and Humanities Research Grant: Emily Baragwanath, Lucia Binotti, Scott Kirsch, Courtney Rivard, Benjamin Arbuckle, LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, William Payne, David Pier, Yurika Tamura.

The Institute for the Arts and Humanities extends its congratulations to the awardees of the Arts and Humanities Research Grant. Three former IAH fellows and an IAH Program Director won the award this year.  Arts and Humanities Research Grants are part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s strategic plan and the Vice Chancellor for Research’s University-wide pilot funding portfolio, furthering Carolina’s position as a leader in found … Read more



Grant Supports International Collaborations

Javier Arce-Nazario in his office, in front of screens displaying different maps.

As part of the Internationalization pillar of the Institute’s strategic plan, the IAH launched the Summer International Collaborative Research Grant in 2023 to support faculty at the associate professor rank. Musicologist Andrea Bohlman and geographer Javier Arce-Nazario received the inaugural awards. For faculty in the arts, humanities, and qualitative social sciences, the SICR grant provides $20,000 to use for up t … Read more



Meet Michael Figueroa, New Faculty Program Director

Michael Figueroa, New Faculty Program Director

When Michael Figueroa first arrived as a new faculty member of the music department at UNC-Chapel Hill, he needed support to transition into a large university with different priorities. “In such a large institution, it’s easy to feel lost when you arrive. I needed to know: how do you make a life here?” said Figueroa about his experience. Figueroa sought out mentorship from senior colleagues and other newly onboarded … Read more



Meet FOCIF Steering Chair Suzanne Lye

Suzanne Lye, Faculty of Color and Indigenous Faculty Group Steering Committee Chair

“My aim is to create a place where people can feel accepted for who they are in their whole beings, not just in relation to what they’re teaching or what they research,” said Suzanne Lye on her term as the Steering Committee Chair for the Faculty of Color and Indigenous Faculty Group.   The FOCIF Group provides support, community, and professional development for faculty of color and Indigenous faculty at UNC-Chapel … Read more



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