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Religious Studies

This is your brain on religion
Picture of Saachi Datta

This is your brain on religion

Saachi Datta is combining her passion for religion and science on her path to becoming a physician.

From Omnia

After Falwell’s departure, Liberty students worry about their school and their faith
“All Things Considered,” National Public Radio

After Falwell’s departure, Liberty students worry about their school and their faith

Michele Margolis of the School of Arts & Sciences says that young evangelicals are more progressive than previous generations on some issues but don’t seem to be moving away from the Republican Party overall.

Final chapter in a pandemic’s shadow
Person in glasses is surrounded by bookcases.

David B. Ruderman, the Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Modern Jewish History. (Image: Omnia)

Final chapter in a pandemic’s shadow

Historian David Ruderman was set to publish a new book and celebrate his retirement. Then the pandemic hit.

Kristen de Groot

When Malcolm X came to Penn
Gesturing with his hand, Malcolm X speaks at Irvine Auditorium in January of 1963.

nocred

When Malcolm X came to Penn

On this Malcolm X Day, his 95th birthday, Penn Today reflects on his visit to the University in January of 1963, and his life and legacy.
A unique fellowship for Middle Eastern languages
Five people sit along ancient mud walls at an archeological dig in Iraq.

Katherine Burge, second from right, sits with coworkers at an archeological dig in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017 .

A unique fellowship for Middle Eastern languages

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Foreign Language and Area Studies Program (FLAS) offers undergraduate and graduate-level academic year and summer fellowships to Penn students studying Middle Eastern languages.

Kristen de Groot

New study in ‘Science’: Medieval Catholicism explains the differences between cultures to this day
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.

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author
Two people facing each other, one whose back is to the camera. The other is holding a water bottle and a folded up piece of paper. They are in a crowded room.

Students speak with Judith Katzir (right), a famous Israeli writer known for works like “Closing the Sea” and “Tzilla,” after her talk in College Hall. (Image: Michele Berger) 

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.

Michele W. Berger

How genetics paint a picture of the Jewish past
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.”

Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Osho seated with disciples kneeling before him, circa 1980s

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?