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The Program in the Humanities and Human Values, a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences, sponsors public programs which draw on the humanities to nurture a deeper understanding of our history and culture, enrich the life of the mind, and contribute to the development of a more humane world.
Since its inception in 1979, the Program has sponsored nearly 800 seminars, workshops and conferences, drawing more than 50,300 participants to the University to discuss a wide range of moral, social, and cultural issues.
Weekend Seminars | Registration and Confirmation | Meals and Activities | Scholarships and Discounts | Cancellation Policy | Hold the Date Policy | Lodging | Parking | Mailing List
Adventures In Ideas Weekend Seminars,
co-sponsored by the General Alumni Association, explore trenchant cultural,
moral and social topics that are content-based from the perspective of
the humanities. Almost always, the ideas of different disciplines are
brought to bear on the topic at hand, illuminating it from different angles;
and with the varied backgrounds participants bring to the seminars, new
insights are all but guaranteed. While a lecture forms the basis of each
session, lively discussion follows. Faculty speakers attend each other's
sessions to add continuity - and sometimes controversy - to the proceedings.
The discussion continues informally before and after formal sessions,
over coffee and refreshments,and wine and cheese. The seminars are held in comfortable rooms conducive
to good conversation.
Two-day seminars usually include a wine reception, an optional evening meal, and breaks for coffee or refreshments. Friday sessions usually begin by 4:30 p.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. Saturday morning sessions usually begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 1:00 p.m. One-day seminars begin around 9:15 and end around 5:15 with breaks for coffee and refreshment and an optional lunch. Additional information, including locations, agendas, and maps, will be provided upon registration.
Registration and Confirmation
Pre-registration is required for all Adventures in Ideas seminars. You may register online or may call us at 919-962-1544 to register. Online registration closes two days before the start of each seminar. For last minute registrations, contact us by phone or e-mail. Registrants will be mailed a post card confirmation after their payment has been processed (generally within two to five business days). In addition, two to three weeks before the start of each seminar, participants will receive a packet that includes directions to the seminar, an agenda, and any background readings suggested by the speakers.
Meals and Activities
Each seminar usually includes an optional meal. You will be on your own
for other meals, however, and free to sample any of Chapel Hill's many
fine restaurants. Some seminars may include a film in the evenings. Being on or near the University's campus,
you will have the opportunity to see the collections of the Ackland Art
Museum, visit the Morehead Planetarium, take a walking tour of campus,
or attend one of the University's frequent musical or artistic peformances. For a listing of UNC events, see the UNC calendar at http://events.unc.edu/.
General Alumni Association Sponsorship and Discounts
Weekend seminars are co-sponsored by the General Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina. Membership in the G.A.A. is open to all friends of the University as well as former students. One of the benefits of membership is a $5 discount on the registration for one weekend seminar per semester. For information about membership in the G.A.A., or about any of the travel and enrichment programs sponsored by the G.A.A., please call 919/962-1208, write to the G.A.A. at Post Office Box 660, Chapel Hill NC 27514-0660, or visit the G.A.A. Web site at http://www.alumni.unc.edu.
Of the following three types of discounts/scholarships, only ONE may be taken per seminar:
First Time Participants Receive a Discount
Participants attending their first seminar are entitled to a 50% discount on tuition (excluding the cost of meals).
Three or More Seminar Discount
Each participant who registers for three or more seminars is entitled to deduct $20 from the cost of each seminar. Please note, however, that if you cancel one or more of these three seminars, the tuition for the remaining seminar or seminars IF FEWER THAN THREE, will revert to the regular price. Your refund will reflect the adjusted price.
Teacher Scholarships
Scholarships covering 50% of tuition are available for teachers. Please see our page for teachers for more information.
Refunds for tuition (minus a $30 administrative fee for each registration) will be made for cancellations made at least one business day before a seminar. Refunds for optional meals will be made in ful for cancellations made by noon, two business days prior to a seminar. We reserve the right to cancel seminars or meals in case of insufficient enrollment. If a seminar is cancelled, the full tuition amount will be refunded.
We are willing to put a tentative hold on a place for you in any of our seminars. However, if we have not received your registration and payment three weeks before the date of the seminar, we will release your hold without notification. If the seminar is sold out at that time, your space will be given to a participant on the waiting list.
Lodging
Lodging is not provided for Adventures in Ideas seminars, however the Triangle offers a variety of lodging options, prices, and amenities. Because the Humanities Program does not guarantee availability or rates, we suggest that you make reservations at the hotel or motel of your choice as soon as you decide to attend a seminar. As you make your plans, please remember that athletic and cultural events at UNC frequently overlap with our seminars. To check about such events, you may wish to visit the University’s online calendar at events.unc.edu.
If you have difficulty making hotel reservations, please call us at 919-962-1544 so we can assist you.
The Holiday Inn Express
(919/489-7555 or 800-HOLIDAY) is located at 6119 Farrington Road, near
the intersection of I-40 and N.C. Highway 54 East, just east of Chapel
Hill.
The Hampton Inn & Suites
(919/403-8700 or 800-HAMPTON) is located at 6121 Farrington Road, adjacent
to the Holiday Inn Express just east of Chapel Hill.
The Courtyard by Marriott
Chapel Hill
(919/883-0700) is located at 100 Marriott Way, just off of N.C. Highway
54 east of Chapel Hill and adjacent to the Friday Center for Continuing
Education and the Center for School Leadership Development.
The Sheraton Chapel
Hill
(800/325-3535) is located at the intersection of U.S. 15-501 North and
Erwin Road in Chapel Hill.
The Holiday Inn Chapel
Hill
(919/929-2171 or 888/452-5765) is located on the U.S. 15-501 bypass across
from Eastgate Shopping Center in Chapel Hill.
Homewood Suites by Hilton
(919/474-9900) is located at 4603 Central Park Dr., Durham, 10 minutes outside Chapel Hill, 5 minutes from RDU, off I-40 at Miami Blvd.
The Fearrington Country
Inn
(919/542-2121 or www.fearrington.com) is located in Fearrington Village,
8 miles south of Chapel Hill on U.S. 15-501.
The Carolina Inn
211 Pittsboro Street in Chapel Hill
800/962-8519 or 919/933-2001
Days Inn
1312 North Fordham Blvd. in Chapel Hill
919/929-3090
Hampton Inn
U.S. 15-501 North in Chapel Hill
919/968-3000
Red Roof Inn
U.S. 15-501 North and I-40, north of Chapel Hill
919/489-9421
Residence Inn by Marriott
101 Erwin Road
919/933-4848
Siena Hotel
1505 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill
800/223-7379 or 919/929-4000
Convenient parking will be made available for all seminars as much as possible. If a location on campus is not immediately adjacent to convenient parking, we will inform you in the preparatory materials sent two to three weeks before a seminar. While all buildings are handicap-accessible, please let us know if you have difficulty walking or with stairs so that we can arrange parking for you.
Mailing
List: Adventures in Ideas
We send the Adventures in Ideas brochure to seminar participants, to people who request it, and to teachers in North Carolina public schools. If you receive two brochures, please share a brochure with a friend. Write or call us if you’d like to change your address or remove a name from or add a name to the mailing list.
For more information about the seminars contact the Humanities Program office at 919-962-1544. Additional information, including seminar locations and maps, will be provided upon registration.
We also have a bi-weekly electronic newsletter with listings of humanities-related events. To subscribe, please send an email to human@unc.edu.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill maintains a policy of equal educational opportunity.