The Institute Podcast

The Institute for the Arts and Humanities empowers faculty to achieve their full potential by creating community and cultivating leadership. At the heart of this mission is the affirmation of the crucial value of the arts and humanities to the life of the university and the world. The Institute Podcast engages in conversations with faculty, program directors, and guest scholars about their work in teaching, service and research. We learn the makings of successful leaders across disciplines. And we share this with you. The owl tops Hyde Hall, our Franklin Street home.

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Episodes

Thursday Mar 20, 2025

Associate professor Brandy Brimmer reflects on her fellowship experiences and research in historical legal practices regarding Black attorneys post-Emancipation, and Black women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Black attorneys and claims agents in the post-emancipation South. Brimmer’s work emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of her work and the importance of archival research in understanding historical legal practices and community building.

Thursday Feb 06, 2025

Brian Hsu (FFP ’24) joins us this episode to share how he fell in love with language and linguistics from a young age. Additionally, Hsu describes his recent projects about uncovering Cherokee word order and “Starship Generative Enterprise,” a Star Trek-spin on modern linguistics. We also discuss Hsu’s time as a Faculty Fellow in Spring 2024, where he worked on “Principled Probability in Language.”

Thursday Jan 16, 2025

Institute for the Arts and Humanities Director Patricia Parker sits down with faculty program director Viji Sathy and Rob Kramer for discussion on academic leadership and their involvement with the Institute's Tyson Academic Leadership Program. Kramer, who recently left the IAH and moved to Oregon, had served as the Institute’s senior leadership advisor since 2011 working as co-facilitator to the Chairs Leadership Program and the ALP. With a bittersweet farewell to Kramer and his leadership, he, Parker, and Sathy discuss their collaborations and the enduring success of the ALP and its alumni.

Wednesday Dec 11, 2024

Political science professor Milada Vachudova (FFP ’05, ’15) discusses her research on political change in Europe. In this episode, Vachudova provides context for recent democratic backsliding in countries like Hungary and Poland, and its impact on civic participation and engagement. Vachudova, who joined the IAH as the Faculty Director for Strategic Initiatives in July 2024, also shares about her work in connecting with other faculty and units across the university and beyond.

Thursday Nov 14, 2024

Inger Brodey (FFP '11, '24) shares details about her new publication, Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness, and her upcoming Jane Austen research she worked on as a recent faculty fellow. In addition to book projects, she discusses her public humanities service with UNC's School of Civic Life and Leadership, the Jane Austen Summer Program, and more. 

Thursday Oct 24, 2024

Adam Versényi is a professor of dramaturgy in the UNC Department of Dramatic Art. In this episode, Versényi shares his collaborative work in dramaturgy and translation projects. He also discusses his previous fellowships with the IAH and also what the current Chairs Leadership Program cohort is up to this year. 

Tuesday Sep 10, 2024

History associate professor Michelle King specializes modern Chinese gender history and food history. In this episode, she discusses her experience in the IAH Faculty Fellowship Program and the research behind her new book, Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu Pei-mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food (Johns Hopkins University Press).

Tuesday Mar 12, 2024

In advance of the 2024 Weil Lecture on March 25, Director Patricia Parker conducts a phone interview with speaker Judy Woodruff. During her lecture, Woodruff will speak on her reporting project, Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads. In this podcast, Director Parker asks Woodruff about her distinguished career in journalism, the inspirations for the project, and the divisions and conversations she witnesses throughout it. 

Monday Feb 12, 2024

Assistant professor of religious studies Hugo Mendez (FFP '22) discusses his research in his recent book projects: one exploring the role of St. Stephen in early Christian communities, and the most recent examining the biblical books of John. He also describes his fellowship experiences – at the IAH and at the National Humanities Center – and how they provided the needed time and interdisciplinary connections to work on his current book.

Wednesday Jan 24, 2024

Andrea Bohlman is an associate professor of music who received a 2023 Summer International Collaborative Research Grant from the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. Part of Bohlman’s research examined the consent and politics of sound and sound-recordings, and she collaborated with colleagues at Polish universities. In the podcast, she talks about her research and the impact of the $20,000 grant.

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