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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Protests matter, and here’s why
Protests matter, and here’s why
As part of the Provost’s Lecture on Diversity, political science professor Daniel Gillion gave insight into how demonstrations affect elected officials, shape policy, increase engagement, and motivate voter turnout.
Four things to know about violence erupting in Nigeria
Four things to know about violence erupting in Nigeria
Osagie Imasogie of the Law School, who earned his early legal education in Nigeria, shares his take on the escalating unrest in the country.
Pope Francis supports same-sex unions
Pope Francis supports same-sex unions
The Catholic Church has long stated that marriage is between a man and a woman, a position Pope Francis supports. Melissa Wilde and Anthea Butler discuss the Pope’s recent support of civil unions that ensure legal rights for same-sex couples.
Is American democracy at a breaking point?
Is American democracy at a breaking point?
Amidst a backdrop of protests, the pandemic, and presidential politics, historian Anne Berg shares her thoughts on whether American democracy is at risk, historical parallels to the current situation, and what ordinary people can do.
‘Perspectives on Fair Housing’ looks back on more than 50 years of landmark legislation
‘Perspectives on Fair Housing’ looks back on more than 50 years of landmark legislation
A new Penn Press book featuring experts from law, education, urban studies, and social policy presents fair housing as one of the foremost issues facing the U.S. today.
Latin American Green New Deal
Latin American Green New Deal
Daniel Aldana Cohen, an assistant professor of sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences, organized and moderated an event on the Latin American Green New Deal, rethinking recession recovery and carbon emissions reduction.
Mail-in ballots, foreign interference, and the 2020 election
Mail-in ballots, foreign interference, and the 2020 election
In a Q&A, Kathleen Hall Jamieson discusses what we learned from the election four years ago plus how journalists can responsibly share hacked content and what role the public at large can play.
Securing the future of independent news
Securing the future of independent news
New York Times outgoing CEO Mark Thompson discusses threats to the news business and how it can fight back
Housing initiative fuels cooperation between cities during pandemic
Housing initiative fuels cooperation between cities during pandemic
Vincent Reina and Amy Castro Baker are working with the U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, through the Housing Initiative at Penn to design a housing assistance plan both during the pandemic and after.
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Members of Penn’s Indigenous community discuss their views of Christopher Columbus and how Indigenous people have suffered from Columbus-style colonialism.
In the News
NBC 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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CBS Philadelphia
‘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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WHYY (Philadelphia)
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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Seattle Times
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
Our democracy remains intact, thanks to our courts, free press, and right to assembly
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center wrote an op-ed about the durability of democracy in the U.S. amid polarization, disinformation, and other obstacles. “Individuals exercised constitutional freedoms, especially the mutually reinforcing ones of speech, press, petition, peaceable assembly, and the opportunity to vote—to bend the arc of the country’s history toward justice,” she wrote.
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