The Institute Podcast

Episode 150: Ada Limón, 2026 Weil Lecture Speaker

On March 24, 2026, poet Ada Limón will deliver the 78th Weil Lecture on American Citizenship, hosted by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ahead of her visit to Chapel Hill, Limón talks about her work as the U.S. Poet Laureate and the themes of her upcoming lecture titled "The Invitation: Gathering Courage from the Natural World."
Learn more about the lecture at go.unc.edu/m5C2Z

Episode 149: Stéphane Gerson, 2026 Reckford Lecture Speaker

Interim Director Elizabeth Olson interviews scholar Stéphane Gerson, who is our speaker for the 2026 Mary Stevens Reckford Memorial Lecture in European Studies.

Episode 148: Kathleen DuVal on Bringing History to Life

History professor Kathleen DuVal (FFP ’13, ’22) returns to the podcast to discuss her research journey, her feature in Ken Burns' "The American Revolution" documentary, and her approach to telling historical stories.

Episodes 18 and 51 Re-release: Kathleen DuVal

This episode features two re-released episodes with history professor Kathleen DuVal. In the first episode, from 2016, DuVal discusses teaching and her award-winning book Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution. In the following 2017 episode, DuVal and UNC alumnae Elizabeth Carbone discuss their work on the book that would eventually become the Pulitzer Prize-winning Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.
Stay tuned for a new interview with DuVal, coming to this podcast feed and iah.unc.edu soon.

Episode 147: Morgan Pitelka and Japanese Material Culture

Historian Morgan Pitelka (FFP ’17, ’24) returns to the podcast to discuss material culture and his research project, The Resilience of Kyoto: Environmental and Cultural Renewal, 1586-1670. Plus, he provides historical context about camelias.

Episode 43 Re-release: Morgan Pitelka

In this 2017 episode, Asian and Middle Eastern studies professor Morgan Pitelka discusses his research and how his parents had a big influence in his scholarship. He discusses his love of Japanese film, particularly, the work of Hidden Fortress was the inspiration for Star Wars.
Stay tuned for a new interview with Pitelka, coming to this podcast feed and iah.unc.edu soon.

Episode 146: Elizabeth Olson on Tenure, the IAH, and Leadership

Elizabeth Olson, interim director of the Institute, returns to The Institute podcast to share what she is looking forward to during the academic year. She also discusses the significance of tenure and how it supports critical research, and how her own work in care ethics has informed her style of leadership.
 
Read a transcript at iah.unc.edu/podcasts.

Episode 115 Re-release: Elizabeth Olson

In this 2020 episode, we interview geography professor Elizabeth (Betsy) Olson, who discussed her career as a scholar and role as a campus leader. Stay tuned for our next new episode featuring Olson, who is currently serving as the interim director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. 
Read a transcript at go.unc.edu/Jj72R.

Episode 145: Interview with 2025 Reckford Speaker Fatima El-Tayeb

After the 2025 Reckford Lecture, IAH Director Patricia Parker and Yale professor Fatima El-Tayeb reunite on Zoom for The Institute podcast. In this episode, Parker and El-Tayeb reflect on the lecture and discusses the themes El-Tayeb explored in her talk and her latest book, Un/German: Racialized Otherness in Post-Cold War Europe.

Episode 144: Early Modern Literature and Shakespeare’s Demons with Mary Floyd-Wilson

English and comparative literature professor Mary Floyd-Wilson received the 2024 George H. Johnson Prize for Distinguished Achievement by an IAH Fellow. In March 2025, she received the prize and delivered a lecture on her latest work exploring the representations of the devil on stage, particularly in Hamlet. In this podcast, Floyd-Wilson looks back on the lecture and her career.