Podcasts
Welcome to The Institute, a podcast where we profile the fascinating people connected to the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We talk with faculty about the pillars of their work in teaching, service and research. We learn the makings of successful leaders across disciplines. And we share this with you.
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Mark Schoenfisch, Professor, Chemistry
Can Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance be a pathway to learning chemistry? Professor Mark Schoenfisch, winner of the Chapman Family Teaching Award, uses it to show students what it means to “question things” and “experiencing life to the fullest by thinking.” The Chapman award includes a semester in the IAH Faculty Fellows Program. Schoenfisch discusses his desire to grow excitement around chemistry in undergraduates after his own inspiring research experience. “I really think in an introductory class you have to engage the students and show them the big picture as to why chemistry is important and exciting,” he says.
Susan Harbage Page, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Assistant Professor Susan Harbage Page is the only artist in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. In our interview with her, she describes her role in this already interdisciplinary field and how this has served her in her experience as a Faculty Fellow. On the fellowship: “I think it’s very important to be able to communicate your work to someone who is in a different discipline.”
James Ketch, Professor, Music
James Ketch, UNC music professor and jazz studies director, is passionate about teaching and learning. In 1992, he was the first fellow at the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, funded by David and Becky Pardue. Since then, he has continued to flourish in his teaching, service and research.
Jennifer Ho, IAH Associate Director; Professor, English and Comparative Literature
In her 10 years as Carolina faculty, Professor Ho has focused her research on the construction of contemporary American identities. H She is a 2008 Faculty Fellow and a 2016 Academic Leadership Program Fellow. She was also recognized with the Chapman Family Teaching Award (2012).
Patricia Parker, Department of Communication Chair
Patricia Parker discusses her work at the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. “It was the Institute for the Arts and Humanities that really helped me go from idea to action,” she says about creating the Ella Baker Women’s Center for Leadership and Community Activism. Parker is Faculty Fellow (2002), Academic Leadership Program Fellow (2010) and participant in the Chairs Leadership Program (2015).