Sociology | Penn Today

The new pope, Pope Leo, waves from St. Peter’s Basilica.

Q&A: The first American pope

Melissa Wilde of the Department of Sociology, whose research has led her to the Vatican Secret Archive, among other places, discusses the new Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, and the implications for the Roman Catholic Church.

3 min. read

Hands flipping through copy of Micrographia.

A novel and hands-on approach to teaching about technology and society

Elly Truitt teaches students about the history of communication technology, from the invention of writing to large language models, while introducing them to Penn’s libraries and unparalleled resources.

5 min. read

Thea Kerekes stands in front of Kelly Family Gates at Penn.

Integrating a sociology education and love of portrait photography

Fourth-year Théa Kerekes developed a passion for photography long before she decided to study sociology, but the major has shaped how she sees the world.

4 min. read

Lance Freeman stands with hands in pockets outside of a building.

Changing neighborhoods, changing times

Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences studies how people interact with the built environment.

Bosses who think they’re funny create emotional labor for employees, says study

A new collaborative study from Penn finds that poor attempts at humor from a manager might negatively affect job satisfaction in the workplace.

Displaced Palestinians outside their tents near the seaside in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Study shows drop in life expectancy in the Gaza Strip

A collaborative team of international researchers estimate that between Oct. 2023 and Sep. 2024 compared to pre-war levels, life expectancy in the Gaza Strip almost halved.

What is a migrant? What is ICE? 10 terms to help you understand the debate over immigration

Doctoral student Daniel Jenks of the School of Arts & Sciences defines 10 important terms to help people understand immigration news.

The social structures that shape AI

There’s more hype than ever around artificial intelligence, but Assistant Professor of Sociology Benjamin Shestakofsky says it’s important to fully examine how the new technology fits into broader society.

Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics

In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.

Engaging discussion at Center in the Park on conservative agenda Project 2025

At a Philadelphia panel on Project 2025, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts said that Black women would have even greater numbers of unwanted pregnancies without access to legal contraceptives.

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