School of Arts & Sciences

Possessed: The Salem witch trials

This spring marks the 330th anniversary of the Salem witch trials, during which a total of 20 “afflicted girls” accused around 150 people, 19 of whom were executed. Historian Kathleen M. Brown discusses why this episode is still fascinating today.

Kristina García

Penn announces nine 2022 Thouron Scholars

Five seniors and four recent alumni have received a 2022 Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each scholarship recipient receives tuition for up to two years, as well as travel and living stipends, to earn a graduate degree there.

Louisa Shepard

The West’s sanctions on Russia

Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, professor of economics and director of the Penn Initiative for the Study of the Markets, discusses the severity of the sanctions, the effects so far, and the potential reverberations for the rest of the globe.

Kristen de Groot

Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon on the war in Ukraine

The Ph.D. student in history, and former resident of Ukraine discusses the nation, how things got to this point, and what’s being overlooked in the discussion about the war.

Alex Schein, Susan Ahlborn



In the News


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Civil discourse: Tips for navigating potentially divisive discussions around the holiday table

Research co-authored by Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences found that political discussions between members of opposing voting parties helped reduce polarization and negative views of the other side.

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Associated Press

Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old canals used to fish by predecessors of ancient Maya

Jeremy Sabloff of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Museum says that ancient fish-trapping canals show continuity in Maya culture.

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Chicago Sun-Times

UChicago students, Barrington native among 2024 Rhodes Scholars heading to University of Oxford

College of Arts and Sciences fourth-year Om Gandhi from Barrington, Illinois, has been awarded a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn student awarded Rhodes Scholarship to continue cancer research at Oxford University

College of Arts and Sciences fourth-year Om Gandhi from Barrington, Illinois, has been awarded a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship to continue his cancer research at Oxford University.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn has preserved a pair of gloves said to belong to Shakespeare. Did they?

Alicia Meyer and Tessa Gadomski of Penn Libraries are researching whether a pair of centuries-old gloves belonged to Shakespeare, with remarks from Zachary Lesser of the School of Arts & Sciences.

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