5/18
Annenberg School for Communication
Engaging Minds showcases best part of Penn in New York
Penn Alumni’s Dec. 14 event featured a trio of impressive faculty: Michael Weisberg, Sarah J. Jackson, and Duncan Watts.
How rituals shape our world
An Annenberg class about ritual communication encourages students to employ ethnography and textual analysis to think about the unique language of rituals and their endurance.
Understanding how information flows into and out of Gitmo
Annenberg doctoral student Muira McCammon studies the intersection of technology, law, and military policy. She’s on the quest to understand how people and data move through the Guantánamo Bay detention center.
Justified and unjustified movie violence evoke different brain responses
In a new study, researchers at Penn find that scenes of unjustified and justified violence in movies activate different parts of the adolescent brain.
Side Gigs for Good
After putting in a full, impactful day at work at Penn, some faculty and staff fill their spare hours with endeavors that make a difference.
Talking the Deadspin debacle, the future of digital news, and more
Victor Pickard, an associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, chats with Penn Today about how the recent happenings at the sports blog are reminiscent of a worsening journalism crisis in the U.S.
Syrian journalist details dangers, challenges covering her country
During four public discussions last week as part of a “Writer at Risk” residency, Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim described in detail the dangers she faced covering armed conflicts while in her country.
Syrian journalist to speak in Penn’s ‘Writer at Risk’ weeklong visiting fellow program
Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim will visit Penn to discuss the armed conflict in Syria, the importance of an independent press, and the challenges of working in war-torn areas for female journalists.
Digging deep with Parker Jones
The junior on the volleyball team chats about her responsibilities as an outside hitter, her interest in Penn, the joy of beach volleyball, and coaching the freshman team while she was in high school.
The 2016 election did not increase political polarization
A new study by Annenber’s Yphtach Lelkes indicates that America is politically polarized, but the findings show no statistical difference between the levels of partisanship in 2014 and 2017.
In the News
Presidential candidates on trial
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center discusses the impact Donald Trump’s conviction or imprisonment could have on his presidential campaign.
FULL STORY →
There is one major element missing from the debate on kids and social media
In an opinion essay, PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that gun violence needs to be part of the conversation about how smartphones and social media impact young people.
FULL STORY →
A Taylor Swift-themed addiction recovery group started in Philly and became ‘a community with the vibe of a Taylor concert’
Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication says that online music fandoms have always been places where people make sense of stigmas.
FULL STORY →
Trump trial tests his campaign strategy of embracing bad publicity
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump’s trial is giving him is the opportunity to bookmark his appearances with on-camera access, underscored by Truth Social.
FULL STORY →
Why losing political power now feels like ‘losing your country’
Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication says that political elites, not average voters, are driving the democratic backsliding that is occurring in America.
FULL STORY →