Happy Friday, North Texas!

Who made Santa a superstar? Yes, Virginia, it was advertisers. On this episode of UNT Pod, Bill Ford — a lecturer in UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism and director of UNT’s student-led advertising and PR agency SWOOP — discusses how modern advertising has affected the way the public sees and celebrates Christmas. In this episode, we discuss: ● Santa’s role in advertising ● The most influential (a...

Michael Wise, an associate professor in UNT’s Department of History whose expertise includes the histories of food, agriculture and animal-human relationships, has long studied Native American food traditions, especially that of the Blackfeet tribe of Montana. On this episode of UNT Pod, Dr. Wise discusses the mythology surrounding Thanksgiving, the history of Native American hunting and farming,...

The 2018 Campus Inclusion Climate Survey was UNT’s first, with Shani Barrax Moore — the director of diversity and inclusion in UNT’s Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity — leading the effort, and master’s student Zahra Khalaf analyzing and providing context to the data and determining the best way to use it to facilitate intentional inclusion. An overview of the results was presented via...

There are plenty of highs and lows when it comes to diabetes, which is exactly what National Diabetes Awareness Month aims to spotlight. Each November, communities across the country team up to bring attention to the chronic illness through events and resources. With 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes each year, that need for increased awareness is becoming more and mo...

In advance of National Novel Writing Month, we talk to UNT associate professor of creative writing Bonnie Friedman about envy, fear, and distraction, the benefits of writing, and how persistence is the key to growing one’s writing abilities. Friedman is the author of Writing Past Dark , which the Center for Fiction has called one of the essential books for writing, and Poets & Writers literary...

In spring, three words burst through a news cycle otherwise laser-focused on COVID-19: “I can’t breathe.” George Floyd’s brutal death broke through the greater American consciousness, particularly that of white Americans, in a way the other questionable fatalities that have occurred over the years did not — and out of that horrific incident, deeper conversations about the lack of equity in modern...

In celebration of UNT’s 130th anniversary, we take a deep dive into UNT’s Special Collections with archivist Rachael Zipperer, exploring some of the most unusual pieces of history contained within — and to see how the university is always working to preserve its exceedingly unique spirit. In this episode, we discuss: ● Eppy subreddits ● The miniature books collection and the reemergence of "The Ho...

From 300-year-old murder cases to unidentified bodies on the Texas border, Dr. Harrell Gill-King has investigated it all. As a forensic anthropology professor and founding director of UNT’s Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Gill-King has developed what he calls a “junkyard mind” — he knows a lot about a little bit of everything. His knack for digging deeper to find the truth has led to his ster...

In this episode of UNT POD, UNT professor of psychology Patricia Kaminski discusses parent-child relationships, child abuse and eating disorders related to COVID-19. In this episode, we discuss: ● How to cope with stress to build healthier parent-child relationships ● How to identify and prevent child abuse ● The pressures COVID-19 places on those with eating disorders and how to best cope Feature...

Joanna Davis-McElligatt, an assistant professor in UNT’s Department of English who is an expert on diversity in higher education and comics, discusses a recent uptick in inclusion — and the challenges that still lie ahead. In this episode, we discuss: ● The importance of diversity and inclusion in higher education ● The recent uptick of diversity and inclusion in comics, and its importance to the...

In this episode of UNT POD, University of North Texas community members discuss their personal experiences on the topic of love. We'll also hear from experts in neuroscience and social science. Featured in this episode are: ● Dr. Nicoladie Tam, Associate Professor, Dept. of Biological Science ● Dr. Julie Leventhal, Sr. Lecturer, Educational Psychology ● Judith Sanchez and Tanner Dritschler, UNT al...

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas staff and alumni experts discuss their own experiences with mental health, as well as how to identify if and where one should seek out mental health resources for themselves or others. In this episode, we discuss: ● The stigma that sometimes surrounds mental health and how to dispel it ● Common chronic mental health symptoms ● Preventative...

In this episode of UNT POD, University of North Texas students and staff discuss their personal fandom, their first Star Wars memories and expectations for Episode IX , and industry experts discuss the staying power and cultural impact of the franchise over the last 40-plus years. In this episode, we discuss: ● Star Wars fandom ● Star Wars memories ● The staying power of the franchise ● The cultur...

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas faculty experts discuss recent events that reflect the shifting power dynamic in newsrooms, including the mass exodus of Deadspin’s editorial staff and the Salt Lake Tribune being granted non-profit status, as well as the rise of #fakenews accusations ahead of the 2020 election. In this episode, we discuss: ● The death of Deadspin ● Newsroo...

In this episode of UNT POD, University of North Texas experts discuss the making of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress and the impact Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has on the fashion industry as the third season of The Crown is set to air. In this episode, we discuss: ● The making of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress ● The Texas Fashion Collection features a dress designed by designer Norman...

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas student and faculty experts discuss their mission to document and preserve endangered and indigenous languages, including South Asian languages such as Lamkang, Mankiyali, Kashmiri and Burushaski. They also discuss events such as UNT’s Year of Indigenous Languages series and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, set for 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at Sage Lawn. In...

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas faculty experts and alums discuss the important milestones from the summer of 1969, along with their continued reverberations. Ann McCutchan, a UNT alum and former professor of creative writing who penned a memoir in 2016 about growing up on the space coast in Titusville, Florida, perhaps sums it up best: “That was some summer.” In this epi...

In this episode of UNT Pod, acclaimed journalist and co-director of the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference Michael Mooney — who also happens to be a UNT alum — speaks with Monique Bird, discussing everything from the Mayborn conference and the state of journalism to his simultaneous love of, and aversion to, Twitter. In this episode, we discuss: ● Highlights from the Mayborn conference over th...

In this episode of UNT POD, we sit down with counseling doctoral student Damien McClintock to breakdown the five stages of grief and how each is portrayed by Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. In this episode, we discuss: Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance Superheroes Featured in this episode: Damien McClintock, doctoral student in the c...

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas faculty experts -- along with some student superfans -- take a look at the impact of Game of Thrones as the series finale looms. “They’re gonna break our hearts,” UNT student Macie Alberth says. “That’s the whole point, I guess.” In this episode, we discuss: How GoT embraced universe-building, big-budget storytelling Favorite scenes and cha...