10.21
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
The 2016 election did not increase political polarization
The 2016 election did not increase political polarization
A new study by Annenber’s Yphtach Lelkes indicates that America is politically polarized, but the findings show no statistical difference between the levels of partisanship in 2014 and 2017.
A conversation with Julia Ticona
A conversation with Julia Ticona
In the latest episode of “Office Hours,” a Penn Today podcast, Assistant Professor of Communication Julia Ticona explains her research about the gig economy and chitchats about cooking, campus, and superpowers.
A Q&A with landscape historian Sonja Dümpelmann
A Q&A with landscape historian Sonja Dümpelmann
Landscape historian and standing faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Weitzmann School Sonja Dümpelmann discusses her new book, “Seeing Trees: A History of Street Trees in New York City and Berlin.
Genes play a role in dog breed differences in behavior
Genes play a role in dog breed differences in behavior
Border collies are highly trainable, greyhounds love to chase, and German shepherds make good guard dogs. While the environment plays a role, traits like these are highly heritable. A new study identifies 131 genetic variants associated with breed differences in behavior.
A quest to restore cultural heritage in Iraq, one site at a time
A quest to restore cultural heritage in Iraq, one site at a time
Penn archaeologists, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Mosul and Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, seek to undo the terrible destruction ISIS wrought, particularly on targeted minority groups.
Three-concert festival celebrates composer and Penn professor emeritus George Crumb
Three-concert festival celebrates composer and Penn professor emeritus George Crumb
A three-concert festival will celebrate decades of music by Penn professor emeritus George Crumb, a Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Oct. 10-12 at the Annenberg Center.
A simple intervention enduringly reduces anti-Muslim sentiment
A simple intervention enduringly reduces anti-Muslim sentiment
Research from the Annenberg School for Communication found that calling out the hypocrisy of collective blame—holding an entire group that’s not our own responsible for acts of a single person—significantly lessened hostile sentiments toward that group.
Junior Chloe Gong has a deal to publish young-adult novel set in 1920s Shanghai
Junior Chloe Gong has a deal to publish young-adult novel set in 1920s Shanghai
In addition to pursuing her double-major in English and international relations, junior Chloe Gong is writing a novel, a take on “Romeo and Juliet” set in 1920s Shanghai. “These Violent Delights,” is expected to be released next fall.
Sculptor Michelle Lopez creates installation for ICA exhibition ‘Ballast & Barricades’
Sculptor Michelle Lopez creates installation for ICA exhibition ‘Ballast & Barricades’
Michelle Lopez of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design created a sculpture with construction-derived materials hanging from, and reaching up to, a 30-foot-high gallery ceiling in the Institute of Contemporary Art. The new site-specific installation, “Ballast & Barricades,” is on display until May 10.
‘Power of design’
‘Power of design’
In a ceremony Thursday afternoon, President Amy Gutmann celebrated the naming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Stuart Weitzman Plaza. Weitzman, the designer and footwear industry icon, graduated from the Wharton School in 1963.
In the News
BuzzFeed.com
Andrew Yang injected Silicon Valley’s favorite economic idea into the Democratic debate. Silicon Valley isn’t so happy about that
Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice said universal basic income is looking increasingly possible now that it’s been embraced by the tech world. However, she cautioned, “if we move forward, but without the science of knowing how to best implement, we could create other forms of inequality.”
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MarketWatch
As Democrats spar over guaranteed jobs, universal basic income and $15 minimum wage, which would best help Americans?
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice said that, in an ideal world, universal basic income would better improve the lives of Americans than a $15 hourly wage. The former is “a more ambitious plan, for sure, and therefore the rub is the cost,” she said.
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TheHill.com
Poll: Most Americans say they trust Supreme Court
A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 68% of U.S. adults have faith in the Supreme Court, and 70% said the court has “about the right amount of power.” However, 57% of respondents said it can get too “mixed up in politics.”
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Vanity Fair
Leading neurocriminologist considers Joker “a great educational tool”
PIK Professor Adrian Raine discusses the new film “Joker” and how it might be used to teach criminology. “It’s really hard to get a true-life story that fits all of these pieces together, let alone a very dramatic and stylized movie that illustrates these factors quite strongly,” he said. “That was really a revelation.”
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MarketWatch
Lalo Alcaraz, a cultural consultant for the Oscar-winning ‘Coco,’ helps Disney and Nickelodeon avoid lazy stereotypes
Américo Mendoza-Mori of the School of Arts and Sciences consulted for Paramount Pictures on the script for “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”
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