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Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Philosophy
The philosophy of visual studies
The philosophy of visual studies
Founded 20 years ago, the interdisciplinary major of visual studies creates a bridge for students to combine interests, including philosophy, art history, architecture, fine arts, and psychology.
On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life
On the Galápagos, an underwater exploration of marine life
In collaboration with a local dive instructor and the students he trained, researchers from Penn and Villanova are learning how human presence affects life on the seafloor around these islands.
Two Penn seniors named 2022 Marshall Scholars
Two Penn seniors named 2022 Marshall Scholars
Kennedy Crowder and Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo have been named 2022 Marshall Scholars, among 41 chosen in the U.S. this year. Established by the British government, the Marshall Scholarship funds up to three years of study for a graduate degree in any field at an institution in the United Kingdom.
Penn at COP26: By the numbers
Penn at COP26: By the numbers
A look at who is representing the University at this global conference, what they’re focused on, and how it fits into the bigger picture of worldwide climate action.
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
Season three of the School of Arts & Sciences podcast explores scientific ideas that get big reactions.
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
Seven centuries years after Dante Alighieri's death on Sept. 14, 1321, his “Divine Comedy,” a poem in which an autobiographical protagonist journeys through hell, purgatory, and paradise, is still widely influential.
In These Times: Race and repair
In These Times: Race and repair
OMNIA’s final episodes look into how institutions have perpetuated racial hierarchies, how the past reverberates through the present, and consider what justice looks like.
The ins and outs of research, through a yearlong practicum
The ins and outs of research, through a yearlong practicum
The course, which just completed its third iteration, takes undergrads through the process, from generating a hypothesis and creating experiments to analyzing results and writing a paper. The most recent cohort studied mentorship and educational inequality.
‘Global Health Justice and Governance’
‘Global Health Justice and Governance’
In a special issue of the journal Global Health Governance, seven experts reflect upon Jennifer Prah Ruger’s call for a new model of global public health that prioritizes equity and cooperation between nations and agencies.
Morality isn’t fixed but changes around close relationships
Morality isn’t fixed but changes around close relationships
Research from MindCORE postdoc Daniel Yudkin found that the importance people place on certain moral values shifts depending on who is around in a given moment.
Media Contact
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
When should we mind our business right now? Here’s how to decide
Sukaina Hirji of the School of Arts & Sciences offered advice about when to intervene in a variety of scenarios. “Sometimes you have to speak up. Sometimes you have to stay in your lane. There is no easy answer,” she said.
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NPR
‘Can we change social norms?’
Cristina Bicchieri of the School of Arts and Sciences joins a philosophical discussion about the possibility of changing social norms.
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Christian Science Monitor
Grab your moral compass: ‘The Good Place’ takes philosophy mainstream
Errol Lord of the School of Arts and Sciences offered commentary on the Emmy-nominated series “The Good Place,” which regularly grapples with ethical issues. “I don’t think there has ever been a network sitcom that talks about philosophers in this way,” said Lord.
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Inside Higher Ed
7 hours a week on existential despair
In a uniquely reflective course taught by Justin McDaniel of the School of Arts and Sciences, students meet weekly to read an entire book cover to cover and then discuss. Noting the quality of the resulting discourse, McDaniel said, “it’s the best conversation I’ve ever had in a classroom.”
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The New York Times
The Pain and Promise of Black Women in Philosophy
Anita Allen of the Law School was interviewed about the obstacles black women encounter in the predominately white male field of philosophy. “My vision is for a more inclusive, self-aware and publicly engaged profession whose leaders serve as strong ambassadors for our vital share of the humanities,” said Allen.
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