12/6
Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Sociology
Who, What, Why: Sociologist Wendy Roth on genetic ancestry tests and race perception
Who, What, Why: Sociologist Wendy Roth on genetic ancestry tests and race perception
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Roth plans to explore how people view others who change their racial identity based on results from at-home DNA kits.
In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, young children dying at greater-than-expected rates
In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, young children dying at greater-than-expected rates
The findings, derived from a new model created by researchers at Penn and elsewhere, point to the need for specific and specifically timed interventions aimed at this vulnerable, under-5 population.
A hub for scholarship on ethnicity, race, and immigration
A hub for scholarship on ethnicity, race, and immigration
The Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration brings together undergraduates, graduates, and faculty across the University to build connections and enhance and fund research.
Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean
Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean
This year’s Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean conference hosted by Perry World House focused on the theme of “Shared Narratives: Arts, Culture and Conflict in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Young, Gifted, and Diverse: Camille Z. Charles on Black identity
Young, Gifted, and Diverse: Camille Z. Charles on Black identity
In a new book, sociologist Camille Z. Charles explores the multifaceted identities of Black college students.
Dorothy Roberts on the future of abortion advocacy
Dorothy Roberts on the future of abortion advocacy
Dorothy Roberts speaks with Penn Today on the implications of the Dobbs decision, which struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving many states with no legal right to abortion.
Overturning Roe disproportionately burdens marginalized groups
Overturning Roe disproportionately burdens marginalized groups
For low-income people and people of color, lack of access to safe abortions in the U.S. will have a range of health and financial ramifications, compounding factors like poverty and systemic racism.
How historical racism influences modern poverty and racial inequality
How historical racism influences modern poverty and racial inequality
Sociologist Regina Baker finds that Black people in southern U.S. states with significant institutionalized historical racial practices experience worse poverty today. These states also have a wider poverty gap between Black and white populations.
Following the trail of Elizabeth Thomas, fossil hunter
Following the trail of Elizabeth Thomas, fossil hunter
Claire Conklin Sabel, a doctoral student in Penn’s History and Sociology of Science department, uncovers the findings of 18th-century amateur naturalist Elizabeth Thomas, along with illustrator Alix Pentecost-Farren, who brings Thomas’ work to life.
Cosmic Writers brings free creative writing education to school-aged children
Cosmic Writers brings free creative writing education to school-aged children
May graduates Rowana Miller and Manoj Simha lead Cosmic Writers, a project supported by President’s Engagement Prize that provides free creative writing instruction to K-12 students virtually throughout the world.
Media Contact
In the News
Salon.com
Fixing foster care wouldn't actually be that hard—or that expensive
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts argues for dismantling the current “multi-billion-dollar apparatus” of foster care, since the bulk of its investigations and removals penalize specific families for poverty.
FULL STORY →
Slate.com
The Clinton-era adoption law that still devastates Black families today
In an Op-Ed, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts urges the repeal of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 for its negative impact on Black families.
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Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien
First-time home buyers priced out by high mortgage rates and price points
PIK Professor Lance Freeman discusses the forces that first-time home buyers must fight against when it comes to gentrification.
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Los Angeles Times
‘I can’t keep fighting the system’: DACA recipients are leaving the U.S., disheartened by years of instability’
Roberto Gonzales of the School of Arts & Sciences says that DACA beneficiaries are frustrated by the inability to change their legal status, despite the program’s possibility for upward mobility.
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KPFA
Abolition and the child welfare system w/ Dorothy Roberts
On an episode of “Law and Disorder,” PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts addresses the widespread impact and damage done to Black Americans by agencies like Child Protective Services.
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Times Higher Education
Radical transparency can fix bad behavior by academic journals
In an Op-Ed, Jerry Jacobs of the School of Arts & Sciences writes that operational data like desk rejection rates and peer review processing times would be more useful for correcting sloppy journal practices than an “author’s bill of rights.”
FULL STORY →