Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has invited its faculty to submit proposals for the creation of new research initiatives on campus.Following the successful launches of the SPACE Initiative and the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Trinity Research Initiative will support new directions for interdisciplinary research through seed funding for nascent research collaborations, community-building, and complementary educational and outreach activities.Open to all areas of research and… read more about Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Invites Proposals for New Research Initiatives »
Dr. Marla Frederick received her B.A. from Spelman College before pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Duke. After graduating from Duke, she completed postdocs at Princeton University and the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC). She also served on faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Harvard University, and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Dr. Frederick is currently Dean of Harvard Divinity School. She is the first woman and only the second African American to serve in that role. Dr.… read more about Alumni Profiles Series: Marla Frederick »
Going Graphic: Six Questions with Duke Professor Courtney Lewis on Her Superpowered Library ExhibitTwo years ago, Courtney Lewis launched the university’s first-ever Native American studies research program: Research for Indigenous Studies and Engagement in the United States (or RISE-US). An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, the Crandall Family Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology has established herself as a rising star in Native American studies, as well as a dynamic… read more about Duke Today - Going Graphic: Six Questions with Duke Professor Courtney Lewis on Her Superpowered Library Exhibit »
Two years ago, Courtney Lewis launched the university’s first-ever Native American studies research program: Research for Indigenous Studies and Engagement in the United States (or RISE-US). An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, the Crandall Family Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology has established herself as a rising star in Native American studies, as well as a dynamic program builder. She is also a self-described “Indige-geek” who is seriously into American Indian comic books.… read more about Going Graphic: Six Questions with Duke Professor Courtney Lewis on Her Superpowered Library Exhibit »
In an up-close and personal event, Duke Conversations turned the Ruby Lounge in the Rubenstein Arts Center into a dining room for its “Meet the Deans” event on Tuesday, September 30. The event featured senior leadership from across the undergraduate schools, including Deborah Reisinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Manoj Mohanan, Interim Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, Jerome “Jerry” Lynch, Vinik Dean of Engineering for the Pratt School of Engineering, Lori Snyder… read more about In Conversation with Duke’s Top Undergraduate Leaders »
On September 26, a group of Duke faculty representing several disciplines gathered in person for the first meeting of the new “Teaching in the Age of AI” Faculty Learning Community (FLC), led by Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, Associate Professor of the Practice in the Thompson Writing Program, and supported by CARADITE. Attendees exchanged introductions and reflected on their attitudes toward generative AI — a mix of excitement and caution — and their motivations for joining this new venture. read more about Teaching in the Age of AI: A New Faculty Learning Community Takes Root at Duke »
Dr. Marla Frederick received her B.A. from Spelman College before pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Duke. After graduating from Duke, she completed postdocs at Princeton University and the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC). She also served on faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Harvard University, and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Dr. Frederick is currently Dean of Harvard Divinity School. She is the first woman and only the second African American to serve in that role. Dr.… read more about Alumna Marla Frederick's Journey From Duke to Harvard Divinity »
Newly published research from Duke University’s Pontzer Lab, housed in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, has found a strong link between higher stress in children and adverse health conditions for them later in life.In an article recently published by the journal PNAS, the study used measurable metrics of health over time to create a more quantitative view of how stress early in life affects health.“We’ve had an idea for a long time, since the ‘80s at least, that when… read more about Childhood Stress Strongly Linked to Chronic Disease in Adulthood, Duke Researchers Find »
In this episode of The End of Sport, Nathan and Derek sit down with Dr. Tracie Canada, Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Director of The HEARTS Lab at Duke University, to discuss her new book Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football (University of California Press). A decade in the making, this Black feminist analysis confronts how college football exploits and harms the young Black men who dominate rosters across the United States. While universities and coaches… read more about Interview With Tracie Canada on the Exploitation and Care in College Football »
Katya Wesolowski, Lecturing Fellow in Cultural Anthropology — Howard D. Johnson Award in the Social SciencesA scholar, dancer and anthropologist, Katya Wesolowski’s teaching draws from the African Diaspora, from Brazil to Angola, where movement and embodied practice become powerful tools for understanding culture, identity and belonging. Read the full article. read more about Katya Wesolowski receives the Howard D. Johnson Award in the Social Sciences »
Four faculty in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences were recently recognized by the Arts & Sciences Council for outstanding achievements in undergraduate teaching.Each year, the Council’s Committee on Undergraduate Teaching honors outstanding faculty for their commitment to their students, for engaging them deeply in research and scholarship, for their continued development as innovative teachers and mentors, and more.Members of the council — in collaboration with the dean's office — select… read more about Four Trinity Faculty Receive 2025 Undergraduate Teaching Awards »
What does it mean to die well in a society where the family grave is no longer guaranteed? This is the question Dr. Anne Allison, professor of cultural anthropology at Duke, has spent the past decade exploring in her research on death and dying in Japan. Her work provides an uncanny mirror for global questions of aging, loneliness, and human rights — questions that resonate deeply alongside the upcoming screening of Plan 75, a Japanese film about state-sponsored euthanasia. Read the full interview. read more about Facing Death Otherwise: An Interview with Professor Anne Allison »
Author EventTracie Canada and Javier WallaceDiscussing Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big Time FootballSeptember 16th, 6:00PMGolden Fig Books Carrboro read more about Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big Time Football »
Fresh from the Outer Banks, sun-kissed, slightly sore yet fully inspired, Torry Bend is eager to continue the work started at Duke’s Marine Lab this summer. The professor of the practice in Theater Studies spent six weeks in Beaufort, North Carolina, directing Arts+ Resilience Through Puppetry and exploring the art form’s roles in teaching climate sustainability and community building. They came. They saw. They built a leviathan. The Arts+ team (from… read more about When Puppetry and Environmental Resiliency Go Hand-in-Hand »
Lee D. Baker has been appointed vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced today.Baker, a professor in the departments of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies, has been a member of the faculty for 30 years. He served as chair of the Arts & Sciences Council from 2005-2007, dean of academic affairs in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences from 2008-2016, chair of Cultural Anthropology from 2017-2020, and director of the Program in International… read more about Lee D. Baker Appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education »
Lee D. Baker has been appointed vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced today.Baker, a professor in the departments of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies, has been a member of the faculty for 30 years. He served as chair of the Arts & Sciences Council from 2005-2007, dean of academic affairs in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences from 2008-2016, chair of Cultural Anthropology from 2017-2020, and director of the Program in International… read more about Lee D. Baker Appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education »
Every football season, you’ll see them on the sidelines, in the stands, and now, going viral on social media: Black mothers cheering, coaching, and carrying their sons through one of America’s most brutal sports. But behind the highlight reels and heartwarming Mother’s Day tributes, their everyday labor — physical, emotional, financial — remains largely invisible.Take Terricca Williams, the Florida mom who captured national attention last year for running football drills with her young son, Czar, in their front yard. Sure,… read more about The Mothers Who Built The Game: Honoring Black Women’s Labor In Football »
Every football season, you’ll see them on the sidelines, in the stands, and now, going viral on social media: Black mothers cheering, coaching, and carrying their sons through one of America’s most brutal sports. But behind the highlight reels and heartwarming Mother’s Day tributes, their everyday labor — physical, emotional, financial — remains largely invisible.Take Terricca Williams, the Florida mom who captured national attention last year for running football drills with her young son, Czar, in their front yard. Sure,… read more about Tracie Canada: The Mothers Who Built The Game; Honoring Black Women’s Labor In Football »
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025 »
Having worked with horses for thirteen years as a farmhand and riding instructor, I have come to view them more as peers than animals. Horses and humans share a working relationship in the barn where I work, and although I generally believe this relationship is mutually beneficial, horses often seem to do more for us than we do for them. Read more about care networks of working animals. read more about Beyond a Contract: Rethinking Care Networks of Working Animals »
The ChronicleApril 21, 2025Last fall, I had the unenviable task of facing over 500 students in Griffith Theater for my 10 a.m. ECON 101 class the day after the presidential election. Throughout the semester, I had lunch with many of my students, and they had spoken to me openly about their fears and hopes. Regardless of the election outcome, I therefore knew some would be devastated while others would be elated — and so, days before election day, I had decided to have 500 donuts delivered at the beginning of class to… read more about We are under attack. »
Each year, Duke University awards Benenson Awards in the Arts, which provide funding for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates, including graduating seniors. This year, the Student Arts Award Committee awarded prizes to fifteen students for creative projects spanning film, theater, creative writing, music, dance, and visual art. read more about Announcing the 2025 Benenson Award Winners »
“This is a really sweet, full-circle moment for me,” said Tracie Canada, Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology.Canada’s first book, “Tackling the Everyday: Race and Nation in Big-Time College Football,” published by the University of California Press in February, has roots in her days as an undergraduate at Duke.When she was a sophomore, Canada started asking questions about the experiences of students who participate in college sports — especially the high-stakes, lucrative worlds of… read more about Strong Relationships Help Black College Football Players “Tackle the Everyday” »
A Deferential Diagnosis of Fatigue: A Performative Lecture by Rouzbeh Shadpey Tuesday March 4 // 5:30pm // Pink Parlor, East Duke Building Response by Nima Bassiri, Program in Literature A symptom of everything, fatigue defies the differential diagnosis and exhausts its logic. To draw the map of its possible etiologies is a task befitting the Borgesian cartographer, not the medical clinician.In this performative lecture, Rouzbeh Shadpey attempts to square the violent rationale of… read more about A Deferential Diagnosis of Fatigue »
Being Dead Otherwise (Duke University Press, 2023)Anne Allison was awarded the John Whitney Hall Prize from the Association of Asian Studies for the best English language book about Japan for 2025. The AAS is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s prize competitions and offer congratulations to all honorees. Please join us at the AAS 2025 Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony to recognize their work. The ceremony will take place on Friday, March 14, from 5:30 to 7:15pm, in the Aminah Robinson Grand Ballroom… read more about Anne Allison Awarded the John Whitney Hall Prize »
Seven Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty members have been awarded funding from the Undergraduate Program Enhancement Fund. Backed by Duke’s Provost’s Office, the fund supports innovative proposals that enhance undergraduate experiential learning.Owen Astrachan, Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, will design a course called AI, Algorithms, and APIs: Great Ideas of Computer Science (Redux). He envisions the course as an alternative introduction to the major, with the goal of making it the one course… read more about Seven Trinity Faculty Awarded Funding to Enhance Undergraduate Programs »
