Learning Opportunities
Carolina Public Humanities
Carolina Public Humanities has robust offerings from weekend seminars to Great Books Reading in fall 2023.
Its website notes: “Embodying the University’s commitment to extend Carolina resources to all citizens and community members across the state, Carolina Public Humanities offers engaging and innovative public seminars and lectures on a variety of topics and themes throughout the year. Its programs draw upon the humanities to nurture a deeper understanding of history and culture, enrich the life of the mind, and contribute to the development of a more humane world.”
Carolina Public Humanities offers a 50 percent discount to all its programs to Lifetime Members and dues-paid Annual Members of the Retired Faculty and Professionals Association. This discount does not appear on its website, but RFPA members can request it by calling CPH and mentioning their RFPA membership. To learn more about CPH’s current programs, see its Fall 2023 calendar of events at https://humanities.unc.edu/2023fall/.
UNC Digital and Lifelong Learning
UNC Digital and Lifelong Learning is developing its fall community programs and has two events to date set for fall 2023. Events are free, and registration is strongly encouraged.
The first, “Race, Basketball, and the American Dream” will be led by Associate Professor Matt Andrews in the History Department. He teaches courses that intersect sports and politics. The event will be 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 26. The information on the DLL website notes:
“Basketball is not just a game—it is part of the larger story of civil rights and racial politics in the United States. From YMCA and AAU ball to the college and pro game, for the last 132 years, Americans have used basketball as a means for integration, assimilation, economic mobility, resistance, and political protest. In this session we will examine the links between basketball and racial politics, with a particular focus on how the basketball court has served as a site of “race making”—that is, we will explore how the game has influenced (and, still influences) ideas about ‘Blackness’ and ‘Whiteness’ in American society.
“This lecture will be delivered in the form of a list – sports fans love lists! I will give you my “all-time starting five” in basketball—the five players who make up a team that best evince the dynamic relationship between race and basketball. Who are the five players whose basketball careers reveal the most about race and American history? When finished, the presenter will invite questions, comments, and suggestions for different players the audience thinks should be on the list. If we know one thing about sports lists—no one ever agrees!”
The second, “From Trash to Treasure: Plastics and Sustainability,” will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, during UNC Research Week.
The session will be taught by Associate Professor Frank Leibfarth in the Chemistry Department. The DLL website notes: “It is a sobering fact that science predicts by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. What is UNC doing to address this problem? Frank Leibfarth is leading research efforts to turn plastics into useful materials. Enough plastic pellets are produced in the world each day to fill a modern football stadium. While plastic improves our quality of life in countless ways, we are beginning to realize the significant environmental and societal cost of plastic waste. This lecture will provide a history of plastic production, how it is essential to modern society, and what innovations are needed to move towards a more circular plastics economy.
Go to https://dll.unc.edu/community-programs/community-programs-fall-2023/ to register and to check for additional programming as it is developed and posted.
Carolina Performing Arts 2023-24
For Carolina Performing Arts’ 23-24 season, discounts for retired and current UNC employees have been increased to 25 percent for CPA Series events!
The purchase limit is four tickets per person, per performance. To access this discount, retired faculty and staff should use UNCRET2324 or call the CPA box office at 919.843.3333. Current faculty and staff should use promo code UNCFS2324 online or call the box office.
Retired Faculty Seminar Invites Participants (Spring 2024)
The Retired Faculty and Professionals Association (RFPA) at UNC, in collaboration with the Institute of Arts and Humanities (IAH) at UNC, has a long history of offering a seminar for newly retired UNC faculty and professsional members entitled “Creating a Life You Love in Retirement.” The seminar focuses on the ways in which faculty see retirement as a new phase in life with both opportunities and challenges. The seminar syllabus contains articles and books about aging and retirement, with a special emphasis on the retirement of university faculty members. The most satisfying aspect of the seminars, however, has been faculty members sharing their past experiences as well as their future interests and goals.
The upcoming seminar will start in February 2024 and extend through eight weekly sessions, meeting for two and half hours each week in Hyde Hall, and concluding in mid-April. IAH has graciously agreed to provide lunch each week as well as a final dinner in April, when the seminar concludes.
Two retired faculty members – both participants in an earlier seminar – will lead the 2024 seminar: Jan Bardsley (bardsley@email.unc.edu) (Emerita, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies ) and Ray Dooley (rdooley@email.unc.edu) (Emeritus, Department of Dramatic Art). Recently retired faculty who are interested should contact Jan or Ray as soon as possible.
For further information, see the IAH Retired Faculty Program website or contact Zyon Perkins, IAH Event Planner (919-962-0918, zyon@unc.edu).
Intergenerational Philosophy
The Philosophy Department and Parr Center for Ethics have partnered with the Retired Faculty and Professionals Association for several years to create intergenerational spaces for learning and discussion about life’s most pressing questions. At its core, philosophy is about asking questions and critically reflecting on our beliefs and values, and we believe it is best practiced in the company of others. Our hope is that by drawing on the rich and varied experiences represented across generations, we can promote lifelong learning and strengthen the ties of the Carolina community.
There are several opportunities to participate in Intergenerational Philosophy each semester. This year, the opportunities are as follows:
- In Fall 2023, RFPA members are invited to participate in the UNC-Seymour Center philosophy series in the Seymour Center theater room. Meetings will take place on 9/26, 4 p.m.; 10/26, 4 p.m.; 11/30, 4 p.m.; 12/14, 4 p.m. All are welcome!
- In Spring 2024, RFPA members are invited to participate in regular philosophical discussions with UNC undergraduates at the Seymour Center, discussing a range of topics and questions curated both by students and discussion participants.
Contact Philosophy Teaching Assistant Professor & Director of Outreach Michael Vazquez (michael.vazquez@unc.edu) with any questions about this program, or with ideas for future programming.