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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
An election night like no other
Undergraduates in the Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies worked at NBC helping support its Decision Desk.
The sociology and science of genomes and biomes
Rebecca Mueller studies how infectious microbes like the coronavirus can affect communities of people with genetic vulnerabilities.
Alexander Vindman on past events, future concerns
The visiting scholar spoke at a virtual event at Perry World House on the first anniversary of his testimony before the presidential impeachment inquiry.
Uncovered burial ground reveals history of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
According to the research, many of these individuals originated in sub-Saharan Africa, in line with historical accounts of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This work, the largest DNA study of its kind to date, was co-led by anthropologist Theodore Schurr and conducted with support from and at the request of the local community.
How the Africana Studies Summer Institute went virtual
The 2020 Africana Summer Institute adopted a new vision, working to prepare freshmen for a virtual life at Penn.
Understanding poverty and data
Regina Smalls Baker of the School of Arts & Sciences and Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice explore how data can be better used to analyze and address poverty.
Election night 2020: What to expect
Penn professors address what election night might look like, as well as how the culture of elections came to feel like a pop culture event.
Iran-China partnership: A reported new deal for a relationship going back to antiquity
William Figueroa, who recently earned his doctoral degree in history, shares his take on the past relations and what the new partnership could mean.
How have new social norms emerged as COVID-19 has spread?
In a study of nine countries, researcher Cristina Bicchieri found that motivating people to modify behavior requires changing their expectations about the actions and thoughts of those who matter to them.
Pew Center for Arts & Heritage awards 2020 grants to Penn projects
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage announced 41 grants totaling $10.5 million in support of the Institute for Contemporary Art and Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and a Girard College project involving theater director Brooke O’Harra and music composer Tyshawn Sorey.
In the News
As law enforcement braces for more violence, state Capitols come into focus
Anne Berg of the School of Arts & Sciences said images of violence at the U.S. Capitol may result in fewer rallies and public events organized by extremists. However, she said, “I'm personally less worried about the next two weeks than I am about the next several years.”
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Philadelphia’s COVID rental assistance program to roll out differently in 2021
Research by Vincent Reina of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design found that most Philadelphia-based applicants for pandemic-related rent relief were struggling to pay rent even before March 2020. “These are households that clearly showed distress before,” he said.
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How much will homelessness rise? Grim study shows possible ‘impact of doing nothing,’ researchers say
Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice commented on a study that found that homelessness in the U.S. could increase dramatically if a recession follows the pandemic. “This report certainly is a warning alarm for the potential impact of doing nothing,” he said.
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‘No white guilt’ signs causing big uproar in Montgomery County community
Anne Berg of the School of Arts & Sciences weighed in on “No white guilt” signs spotted in Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County. The phrase may be a response to the Black Lives Matter movement. “It is time they step aside and recognize that this movement isn’t about white men. It’s not about white women either. It’s about the advancement of Black lives,” she said.
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The talk radio network that airs Dan Bongino and Mark Levin warned staff to stop ‘dog-whistle talk’
Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about Cumulus Media, a talk radio company that has instructed employees not to spread misinformation about the presidential election. “Cumulus has a big, broad set of interests—they have advertisers, sports contracts, nonconservative podcasts, dealings with the F.C.C. over station licensing,” Rosenwald said. “They understand that if you get involved in something that risks instigating violence, there’s a serious danger to the bottom line.”
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