The Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy

The Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy (TFED) develops programming that bridges the worlds of international diplomacy and higher education, with a particular focus on transatlantic relations and the role of the humanities in fostering cultural literacy and global understanding.

In partnership with UNC Global Affairs, TFED works to bring leading scholars, diplomats, journalists, and thought leaders to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the wider community.

Current UNC students: join our affiliated student organization, the Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy to receive updates on TFED programming, UNC course offerings, and guest speakers. TFED-supported course offerings for 2024 include PWAD/CMPL 489, “Epic, Empire, and Diplomacy,” featuring guest speakers Catherine Meyer, Baroness Meyer, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, Ambassador Robert Pearson, Professor Harold Hongju Koh, among others. Also on offer: ENGL 620: “Introduction to Old English Language and Literature.”

Read about what the students are saying !

Daorsa K.

With very limited background knowledge surrounding these historic literary works, I have learned so much, ranging from the importance of glory through conquest, funeral pyres, agon, the Norse creation myth, various verse forms, the sack of Rome, the fall of Troy, and so much more!
Nickel Hottell

I’m proud of the work I put in and the knowledge I’ve gained. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the classics and a better understanding of English grammar itself through this class.
Zach M.

As a student veteran, I would recommend PWAD 489 to all military veterans who are searching for their next purpose in life. You will also have the opportunity to immerse yourself in timeless literary works whose themes and characters will resonate on a deeply personal level.
Mason Chapman

Learning more about the origins of the English language while being encouraged to investigate topics including Celtic and Norse mythology, ancient texts, vulgate Latin, and many more made the class very fulfilling from a breadth-of-knowledge standpoint.
Brooke S.

Dr. Leinbaugh brought to life connections I didn’t think possible, and made the information accessible and enjoyable. This class made me feel much braver about cracking open classics and epics in the future!
Campbell W.

PWAD/CMPL 489 is a unique opportunity to honor the eternal relevance of literature, learn about ancient storytelling, and connect it all to current Western perceptions and politics.

TFED is proud to announce that Catherine Meyer, Baroness Meyer, CBE, is joining TFED’s Executive Board.

TFED looks forward to hosting a webinar with Catherine, Baroness Meyer, of Nine Elms –please stay tuned!

Image of TFED's 3 guest speakers, David Stuttard, Catherine Meyer, and Harold Hongju Koh.

Great thanks to our most recent TFED guest speakers!

David Stuttard: "Singing of Troy: Imagining a Heroic Age from The Iliad to the Aeneid"

Catherine Meyer, Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms: "The House of Lords: A Brief Introduction"

Professor Harold Hongju Koh: "The Russia-Ukraine War: Colonial Roots & Legal Solutions"

TFED and UNC Global Affairs look forward to an exciting roster of guest speakers slated for the spring semester, featuring internationally recognized diplomats, global leaders, and accomplished academics.

TFED Partners with UNC Global Affairs-

Stay Tuned for News of Upcoming Events

Upcoming Speakers

Catherine Meyer, Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms,

Professor Harold Hongju Koh,

Kathryn Hewitt,

Ambassador W. Robert Pearson,

Lord Kamall,

David Stuttard,

Paul Rennie OBE,

Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, & More

TFED looks forward to many exciting events in 2024 –please stay tuned!

Congratulations to the class of 2024 Marshall Scholars!

LinkedIn Announcement

Facebook Announcement

Stay Tuned for TFED & UNC Global Affairs:

Hosting Fall Break in Washington, D.C. - October 2024

In Loving Memory of Sir Christopher Meyer

With enormous sadness, we share the news that Sir Christopher Meyer passed away in Megève, France, on Wednesday, July 27th, 2022. He will be missed beyond words by his beloved spouse, Catherine, Baroness Meyer, and by his wider network of family, friends, and scores of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students who had the pleasure of meeting him through our Empire and Diplomacy courses offered at UNC and in partnership with King's College London.

Sir Christopher treasured his close friendships with UNC faculty, students, and the wider UNC community. He recalled with great fondness festive gatherings with supporters of UNC -- including Joan Heckler Gillings, Betty Kenan, and Tom Kenan -- and numerous speaking events where he engaged with UNC faculty and students through his long association with Honors Carolina, the Department of English, and Comparative Literature, the Peace, War, and Defense curriculum, the UNC School of Law, and, most recently, with projects planned in partnership with UNC Global for the coming academic year. He treasured these relationships, which flowered in Chapel Hill and in London and which, in his own words, gave “real substance to the notion of the transatlantic community built on shared values.”

Sir Christopher was an active board member of the Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy. In 2010 Sir Christopher was named the Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina. “SirSocks” will be remembered for his wit and wisdom and his inexhaustible devotion to the cause of strengthening the transatlantic relationship.

Sir Christopher: We will miss you!

“I take a lot of pride in my contributions to TFED; not only does it invest in diplomatic relations between the US and UK, but TFED also invests in students.”

— Myles Lukert (Former intern at TFED)

Our Stories

Students working with TFED come from a variety of different institutions and walks of life. The summer KCL program has welcomed students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stanford, Vassar, Wesleyan, NC State University, Dartmouth, Harvard, UPenn, and a variety of other universities abroad. TFED has also been eager to welcome multiple veterans to both our educational programming and the UNC Literature and Diplomacy Study Abroad. Here, we share some of their stories:

If you are a student interested in the work of TFED, please feel free to contact us to learn about joining the UNC study abroad program at King’s College London, attending special guest lectures (primarily on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), or interning with TFED as we work to expand our academic programming and build funding for transatlantic travel scholarships.