College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

Thinking about death can be terrifying, or at least unsettling. One way we conquer our fear is by telling stories. Storytelling also gives death meaning and significance, as is often seen in the creative works of scholars, artists, writers and philosophers. At the next UNC Charlotte Personally Speaking series talk, on Tuesday March 28, UNC Charlotte expert Christine S. Davis will consider how ideas of death are constructed, using narratives drawn from real life and fiction.

Heather A. Smith’s students and colleagues have long praised her generosity and inclusivity. For the exceptional way she mentors others, the UNC Charlotte geographer has received the 2023 Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award from the American Association of Geographers. Smith’s professional interests and mentoring strengths have guided a generation of geography students who have carried the impact into other spaces and places.

A new book that includes an essay by UNC Charlotte historian Karen L. Cox on myths related to Confederate monuments has landed on The New York Times Best Seller List just nine days after its release, making it an instant best seller. The book, “Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past,” debuted on the hardcover nonfiction list at No. 8.

A book by Amanda Pipkin, History Department chair and professor, has received the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender’s national 2022 Best Book Award. Through compelling, detailed case studies of women, the researcher reveals the vital contributions women made to the spread and practice of the Reformed faith.

Heather Smith, professor of geography, interim chair of the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Levine Scholars faculty fellow, has been appointed faculty director of the Levine Scholars Program, effective July 1, 2023. She succeeds Diane Zablotsky, who will return as a faculty member to the Department of Sociology.

Charlotte alumnus Joseph Graham Jr.’s inspiring story of struggle and progress is featured in a documentary film “Grit & Grace: The Fight for the American Dream,” produced by a Congressional committee focused on economic disparity and fairness in growth.

Terry Shirley Jr., associate chair and senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, has earned the 2022 UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence. Students and colleagues describe Shirley as dedicated, innovative, and holding a passion for teaching and learning.

Earning probation or parole may be challenging, but having it revoked is surprisingly easy – clogging prison systems and derailing an individual’s ability to build a productive life. Nationwide, one in four state prison admissions in 2017 were a result of a technical violation by someone on supervised release. With support from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), UNC Charlotte professor Shelley Johnson and her colleagues are building and piloting a novel approach they hope will break the cycle of recidivism and lead to a new national model for parole and probation practices.

Susana Cisneros, ’09 M.A., sees the teaching of languages as a way to invite people to take a journey of self-exploration and join a collective learning experience. For the exceptional way that Cisneros guides language learners on their journeys, the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina presented her its 2022 Higher Education Teacher of the Year Award.

Harrison (Harry) Sherwood Campbell Jr., a professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, died Saturday, Oct. 8. A celebration of life will be held Friday, Oct. 14, at Heritage Funeral Home, 3700 Forest Lawn Drive, Matthews, North Carolina. The family will receive friends beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a celebration of life starting at 6 p.m.