Annenberg School for Communication

A new discovery shows how a simple intervention—self-affirmation—can open our brains to accept advice that is hard to hear.  

Fifteen years ago, the name “Aiden” was hardly on the radar of Americans with new babies. It ranked a lowly 324th on the Social Security Administration’s list of popular baby names. But less than a decade later, the name became a favorite, soaring into the top 20 for five years and counting.

On Jan. 20, the Center for Africana Studies presents the 14th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture in Social Justice. It will feature actress and activist Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, with whom Dawson co-founded the social enterprise Studio One Eighty Nine, as well as Tiffany Persons, founder of Shine On Sierra Leone.

WHO:            Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, and incoming freshmen WHAT:          Move-in for Penn's Class of 2018 WHEN:          Aug. 22, 2014, 11am

By Christina Cook 

Who would you rather have as a fitness partner: a paragon of athleticism and dedication who could motivate you to exceed your current level of fitness or an equal, with whom you could exchange tips and encouragement on the road to better health?

Michael X. Delli Carpini, professor of communication and Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, has agreed to an extension of his term as dean until June 30, 2018. 

A series of videos produced by student filmmakers at the University of Pennsylvania has put young biomedical researchers around campus in the spotlight.

Working memory, the ability to hold information in your mind, think about it and use it to guide behavior, develops through childhood and adolescence and is key for successful performance at school and work. Previous research with young children has documented socioeconomic disparities in performance on tasks of working memory.

The classroom is not the only place at the University of Pennsylvania where a student can learn a language. Gregory College House’s residential modern languages program offers five “language houses” where students can enjoy new cultural experiences and improve their language proficiency.