School of Arts & Sciences

Discovering and joining extracurricular groups and activities is now easier with the new Penn Clubs online platform, developed and managed by students for students.

Louisa Shepard ・October 26, 2020

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.

Michele W. Berger ・October 23, 2020

William Figueroa, who recently earned his doctoral degree in history, shares his take on the past relations and what the new partnership could mean.

Kristen de Groot ・October 23, 2020

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.

Louisa Shepard ・October 22, 2020

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.

Lauren Hertzler ・October 22, 2020

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.

Kristina García ・October 22, 2020

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.

Kristen de Groot ・October 21, 2020

Mussels, barnacles, and snails are declining in the Gulf of Maine, according to a new paper by biologists Peter Petraitis of the School of Arts & Sciences and Steve Dudgeon of California State University, Northridge. Their 20-year dataset reveals that the populations’ steady dwindling matches up with the effects of climate change on the region.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・October 20, 2020

“Shell structures,” the result of a collision with another galaxy nearly 3 billion years, have been confirmed in the Milky Way galaxy for the first time.

Erica K. Brockmeier ・October 20, 2020

The specialized field of neuroscience, optogenetics, shows clinical promise for conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson’s. But before human trials can get fully underway, the field must better understand a crucial intermediate step, aided by 45 labs in nine countries sharing information.

Michele W. Berger ・October 19, 2020