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Kristina García
News Officer
klg@upenn.edu
Religious Studies
The religious battle over birth control and the unpleasant motivation that fueled it
The religious battle over birth control and the unpleasant motivation that fueled it
In a Q&A, sociologist Melissa Wilde discusses her new book, which probes the racism and elitism that spurred religious groups to fight for legalizing contraception.
An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author
An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author
Speaking to a packed room, Judith Katzir shared her thoughts about the global literature scene, plus the backstories to some of her best-known—and extremely personal—works.
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Many religious movements started off as fringe groups, and many modern-day cults have no religious doctrine. Why are cults and new religious movements conflated, and what makes them different?
An affirmation tree grows on campus
An affirmation tree grows on campus
Through a Penn Wellness and Sachs grant, Elana Burack, a senior religious studies major, is touring the ‘Affirmation Tree’ around campus, soliciting reflections from the University community at large.
How Islamic feminism could shape gender equity
How Islamic feminism could shape gender equity
Ahead of a lecture as part of the Religion and the Global Future speaker series, Assistant Professor of South Asian Religions Megan Robb discusses Islamic feminism’s potential influence on grassroots feminist movements.
Five events to watch for in February
Five events to watch for in February
Happening around campus and beyond this February: the annual Lunar New Year celebration at International House, a thought-provoking new speaker series on the future of religion, and an innovative story slam by nurses.
The calm before the storm in the Middle East
The calm before the storm in the Middle East
In her new book, Heather Sharkey, a professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, explores Muslim, Christian, and Jewish relations in the period before World War I.
Reclaiming a fragmented history
Reclaiming a fragmented history
Digital humanities scholars are orchestrating an epic crowdsourcing effort to sort and transcribe handwriting on thousands of documents discarded hundreds of years ago, known as the Cairo Geniza.
Immersive trip exposes students to the complex narratives of Israel
15 undergraduates took part in the inaugural Encompass fellowship, a project run by Penn Hillel, with a tour around Israel examining cultural and political sites with a focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Crowd-sourced map showcases campus accessibility in real time
Crowd-sourced map showcases campus accessibility in real time
Mark Bookman and Alice McGrath are on a quest to map physical and social barriers across campus. The goal is a crowd-sourced platform that automatically updates to present a real-time user accessibility resource.
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In the News
Forward.com
How genetics paint a picture of the Jewish past
Steven Weitzman of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on efforts to study Jewish genetics. While the research is “fascinating,” he acknowledges that it may make some uncomfortable. “There’s a lot of resistance to [genetic research] within the field of Jewish studies,” Weitzman said. “A lot of people remember or have in mind the role of race science in Nazism. So the idea that Jewish scholars would look in any way to genetics to understand Jewish identity or Jewish history and origins can make people concerned.”
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The Washington Post
New study in ‘Science’: Medieval Catholicism explains the differences between cultures to this day
Coren Apicella of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on a new study that found a correlation between countries with longer histories of exposure to Catholicism and lower measures of kinship intensity. “This is the only theory that I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale,” she said.
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