Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Sand-colored historical city

Mapping the Mughal empire

This summer, professor of South Asia studies Ramya Sreenivasan worked with four undergraduates to get behind the façade of the Mughal military conquest state, using GIS and deep mapping to ascertain how the empire was formed and maintained.

Kristina García ・

Penn student Darcey Hookway

Aging and the costs that come with it

As a high school student, junior Darcey Hookway spent time volunteering on a dementia ward at a local hospital. “The social aspect of their condition really struck me,” says Hookway, who is from London. “They struggled immensely with social isolation. And now with COVID exacerbating that more than ever, I think that’s a huge detriment to their health.”

Katherine Unger Baillie ・



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

They Shazamed songs blasting from cars on Philly’s Girard Avenue and created a ‘Girard Jams’ playlist on Spotify

Guthrie Ramsey of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about two Philadelphians who compiled a playlist of songs played from cars passing by their apartment. “If we all listen to playlists created in that manner for us, you might get a different understanding about the world surrounding you,” he said.

FULL STORY →

CNBC

$300 unemployment benefits end in at least 9 states as stimulus hopes fade

Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the absence of a second stimulus detail and its impact on unemployed Americans. “This is going to be hardest on more disadvantaged, lower-income individuals and communities of color because they’ve been disproportionately impacted by job loss,” she said. “Also, a dollar means more to a poor person than a rich person. Losing those precious dollars is really a meaningful loss for those people.”

FULL STORY →

Chicago Tribune

Commentary: Ruth Bader Ginsburg practiced anti-cancel culture

Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education wrote an op-ed about how Ruth Bader Ginsburg modeled a better way of engaging with political and intellectual opponents. “Her entire career reflected the faith that you could move others to your point of view,” he said.

FULL STORY →

Philadelphia Inquirer

What scares Pa. teens about climate change and how do they want to fight back, a year after massive global protests?

Freshman Nia Peterson shared how she became passionate about combatting climate change. “To provide ourselves and our futures a fighting chance, we first need to acknowledge the situation,” she wrote.

FULL STORY →

PBS NewsHour

Gehry-designed Eisenhower Memorial unveiled after 20 years—during a fraught moment

David Eisenhower of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about a new memorial to his grandfather, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. “I think memorialization is a process that is renewed,” he said. “So, when you dedicate the memorial, I think that you are investing or gambling, in a sense, on the future, that the message that a memorial conveys will have a kind of timeless quality to it.”

FULL STORY →