Dear Duke Health and Duke University colleagues, students and staff: This week, we are beginning to see promising preliminary data from the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials. This is much anticipated news, and we will be carefully and closely following all developments moving forward. At Duke, we are fortunate to have some of the world’s leading experts in vaccine science, and to have the opportunity to participate in vaccine trials. We have engaged these scientists and investigators while developing our vaccine distribution… read more about Message on COVID-19 Vaccines and the Duke Community »
In normal circumstances (whatever that means for you), it can be tricky to foster connections in your courses. When you add a pandemic, a mass shift to online teaching, and a nail-biting presidential election, it’s no wonder some students are distracted. That can make it harder to engage students and build a community. read more about Don't Force It, Have Fun, and Other Ways to Engage Students »
Rita Felski on enjoyment, criticism, attachment, and the future of literary studies. read more about Changing How We Write Is Not Going to Solve the Hiring Crisis »
The spring 2021 academic calendar now includes a two-day break from class and one “wellness day." read more about Spring 2021 Calendar Now Includes a Two-Day Break, One Wellness Day »
Professor Charlotte Sussman is the co-author of the Marine Policy article “Memorializing the Middle Passage on the Atlantic Seabed in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” featured in this Duke Today article. read more about Group Urges Atlantic Seafloor Be Labeled a Memorial to Slave Trading »
The Student Wellness Center is happy to share an ongoing student support resource- Blue Devils Care available to provide Duke students 24/7 Telemental Health Services: Talk Now and Scheduled Counseling. Blue Devils Care is a supplemental resource to Counseling and Psychological Services that provides 24/7 Telemental Services: Talk Now & Scheduled Counseling. For more information, click here. read more about Blue Devils Care Available For Duke Students »
Beginning today, Duke University Stores will hold a 25-percent-off sale on Duke clothing and gifts for students and employees. The discount is only for items bought online, but shipping is free within the continental United States. The sale runs through Nov. 25. read more about Duke eStore Online Sale for Students & Employees »
Join us in honoring our veterans today at 11 a.m. The virtual ceremony includes remarks from university leadership and staff and students from the military community as well participation from the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital. Duke hosts a virtual #VeteransDay ceremony on November 11, 2020 to recognize and honor those who have served or are serving in the United States Armed Forces. read more about 2020 Veterans Day Ceremony »
Seymour ruminates on her successful career as a magazine journalist, discusses her current project Covey Club, and shares advice for students looking to work in media. read more about Q&A with Lesley Seymour ’78, Founder of Covey Club & Former Editor-In-Chief of More Magazine »
In a frank discussion with students, two Trinity College deans urged undergraduates to find ways to step back and reflect on their lives' purpose. Martin Smith and John Blackshear listened to student stories as they shared their own concerns about campus life and systemic racism at Duke and beyond. read more about Deans Blackshear and Smith Talk Anti-racism, Finding Purpose and Life's Unexpected Paths »
DURHAM, N.C. — With the fall semester scheduled to end before Thanksgiving, students at Duke University and other colleges across the country face the prospect of an extended winter break. The schedule is designed to keep students off campus and facilities closed during the worst of the winter months, to keep them from traveling to and fro in an effort to limit contact and contain the coronavirus. read more about Duke Tells Students to Test, Report Plans Before Winter Break »
In Professor Mesha Maren’s introduction to creative writing course, we looked at various styles and forms — personal essays, profiles, fragmentary pieces, poetry, plays, and short stories, to name a few. Although this semester has been different from the norm, we were still able to have the unique opportunity of engaging and interacting with some very talented authors. It was invaluable for us as young writers to improve our skills and broaden our perspectives in this field. It’s one thing to read great literature, but it’s… read more about The David L. Paletz Creative Writing Guest Series Experience »
Duke administered 15,858 tests to students and faculty/staff during the week. Nine students and 13 faculty/staff tested positive, for a positivity rate of 0.139 percent. read more about Twenty-Two Test Positive for COVID, Oct. 31-Nov. 6 »
Students have a new checklist before they leave campus or head home at the close of the semester. Here are the highlights of what you need to know. read more about End-of-Semester and Campus Departure Information for Students »
Students will experience new Zoom security measures in next semester’s online classes. Duke’s Office of Information Technology announced in September that following the end of fall semester, Zoom will require that all meetings have either a passcode or waiting room enabled. A waiting room will automatically be added if no password has been set. read more about Zoom to Implement New Security Measures After End of Fall Semester »
Your experience as a graduate student will be intellectually stimulating and exciting, but also challenging. Rare is the graduate school journey that does not have a few bumps along the way. That is why persistence is one of the most important qualities for the successful graduate student. In this video series, Senior Associate Dean Jacqueline Looney shares her prescription for persistence, a set of tips that can help you be a success in graduate school. read more about "Prescription for Persistence" Video Series »
When she visits Duke classrooms virtually, Trinity Dean Valerie Ashby comes prepared (with props!) to engage with students. Her drop-ins let her check on student progress and wellness during an accelerated and challenging semester. read more about Classroom Drop-ins Build Connections with Students, Tackle Challenging Topics »
Growing up with parents who both hold English PhDs, Thalia Halloran was always drawn to literature. Halloran began learning how to read and write at only three years old. In their Bloomington, Indiana home, Halloran’s older sister offered rudimentary lessons. The pair would write letters and sound out words together. “Once I knew that stories were a thing I could read,” Halloran said, “I immediately wanted to make them too.” Seventeen years later and now a junior at Duke University, Halloran is doing just that. Her… read more about StudioDuke Mentors English Students' Creative Projects »
As part of this semester’s English Department Faculty Work Discussion Series, Professor Julianne Werlin will be presenting “Demographic Approaches to Early Modern Literature” this Friday, November 6th, at noon. To sign up for this discussion with Professor Werlin, please click here. Though COVID-19 makes it impossible to gather together in person this Fall, this series allows us to gather virtually to discuss recent faculty work on literature. This discussion series is for anyone interested in the work of the… read more about Third Installment of Faculty Work Discussion Series This Friday With Professor Julianne Werlin »
Professor David Aers’ Versions of Election from Langland and Aquinas to Calvin and Milton published by Notre Dame Press is now available. Professor Thomas Ferraro’s Transgression & Redemption in American Fiction published by Oxford University Press is now available for pre-order and will ship in early 2020. read more about Professors David Aers and Thomas Ferraro Both Have New Books Available »
Join the Duke community on November 11th to honor our veterans in a digital ceremony, which will premiere at 11 a.m. on Duke's youtube channel. read more about SAVE THE DATE - Duke Virtual Veterans Day »
2020 English alum Valerie Muensterman was one of the recipients of a 2020 Benenson Award in the Arts for her one-actor play titled God’s Last Name, a piece written for one actor and a series of recorded voices. The funding that Muensterman received from the Benenson afforded her the opportunity to write a full-length play over the summer. read more about English Alum Valerie Muensterman’s (’20) Benenson Award Project »
The old ways of running administrative searches haven’t exactly produced the diverse pool of leaders that higher education claims to want. read more about How a Search Committee Can Be the Arbiter of Diversity »
Where is my polling place? How can I avoid the lines? What should I do with my mail-in ballot? We've compiled information from the N.C. Board of Elections to answer these and other questions. read more about Helpful Tips On Voting And Where To Vote On Election Day »
More than 12,600 people cast their votes at Duke's early voting site, including these housemates. The numbers indicate strong motivation for voting in 2020 but also the effectiveness of a student-led voter turnout effort. PLUS: Information about discounted transportation options to the polls on Election Day. read more about Early Voting at Duke Sets Record »
Duke administered 15,578 tests to students and faculty/staff during the week. Nine students and eight faculty/staff tested positive, for a positivity rate of 0.14 percent. read more about Seventeen Test Positive for COVID, OCT. 24-30 »
book by Claudia Rankine | directed by JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell November 5-7, 2020 | 7:30pm | Vimeo Reserve your virtual seat: tickets.duke.edu A stage adaptation of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning book of poetry/prose by Claudia Rankine about race in America. CITIZEN is a fast moving, emotionally charged, and thought-provoking piece of art that combines live theater, music, movement, and video imagery to track the progression of microaggressions to overt acts of… read more about Theater Studies Fall Mainstage Production "Citizen: An American Lyric" »
Two leading scholars discuss the virus, the future of knowledge, and the state of humanistic inquiry. read more about The Coronavirus Humanities »
Early voting in North Carolina ends on Saturday, October 31, at 3 p.m. You can register and vote in a simple one-stop process at any early voting location in your county. The Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center at Duke is a one-stop early voting site. You can find more information and a full list of sites in Durham County HERE. For other counties in NC, click HERE. read more about Saturday Is the Last Day of Early Voting »
Marketplace’s tables have gained a memorable new addition designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but not all students are on board. In order to make indoor dining safer, Duke Dining has installed plexiglass dividers between seating places. Students are divided on subject of the barriers, with some questioning their presence and whether they stop all the ways the coronavirus can spread. read more about 'Sort of Bizarre': First-Years Discuss Merits of New Plexiglass Dividers In Marketplace »