Brendan Thornton lures students into his class with zombies, vampires and demons, then hits them with the serious stuff.

Precarious workers are particularly vulnerable to economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member, with the help of graduate students, is leading a new study to learn about their current and longer-term challenges.

The College of Arts & Sciences and the Southern Futures initiative announce the launch of Southern Futures, a podcast to reimagine the American South. The first episode, “The Push and Pull of the South,” features poet Tyree Daye.

Two key leadership appointments have been made in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Program for Public Discourse, a program launched in 2019 to bring together UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and students to build a stronger community by offering every student the opportunity to become a more informed, engaged and skilled citizen.

Steve Cumbie (BA ’70, MBA ’73) invests in excellence by providing future College deans with unrestricted support.

Congratulations to the 12 faculty who were recently appointed distinguished professors or distinguished term professors in the College of Arts & Sciences. Their new appointments take effect July 1.

Incoming first-year student Jenna Gartland has been awarded the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Scholarship, a full, four-year merit scholarship in creative writing in the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Bookmark This is a feature that highlights new books by College of Arts & Sciences faculty and alumni. This month’s book: “Meander Belt: Family, Loss and Coming of Age in the Working-Class South” by Matt Randal O’Wain.

The Center for Resilient Communities and Environment is working with North Carolina communities to understand their vulnerability to natural stressors and help them develop strategies to strengthen their community’s resilience.

Coastal communities in North Carolina have been hit by several major hurricanes and tropical storms within the past decade. Already burdened by ongoing disaster recovery, these communities are now facing a global pandemic.