4.21
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
In the U.S., COVID-19 wasn’t sole cause of excess deaths in 2020
In the U.S., COVID-19 wasn’t sole cause of excess deaths in 2020
Comparing death rates in the United States with those of the five biggest European countries, Penn and Max Planck demographers found that significant excess mortality cost more lives annually than the epidemic itself.
What it’s like to be a composer during a pandemic
What it’s like to be a composer during a pandemic
Graduate student Ania Vu found creative ways to compose music during a pandemic, despite the challenge of finding inspiration while being stuck at home.
Penn Glee Club becomes fully gender inclusive after 159 years of all-male singers
Penn Glee Club becomes fully gender inclusive after 159 years of all-male singers
The Penn Glee Club and Penn Sirens are merging, meaning that for the first time since its founding 159 years ago, the Glee Club will include singers of all genders and will perform repertoire for soprano and alto voices, in addition to tenor and bass, and for all four voice parts.
Julie Nelson Davis named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Julie Nelson Davis named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Considered a foremost authority on Japanese prints and illustrated books, the history of art professor teaches a wide range of courses on East Asian art and material culture.
How do natural disasters shape the behavior and social networks of rhesus macaques?
How do natural disasters shape the behavior and social networks of rhesus macaques?
A team of researchers from Penn, the University of Exeter, and elsewhere found that after Hurricane Maria monkeys on the devastated island of Cayo Santiago formed more friendships and became more tolerant of each other, despite fewer resources.
Penn junior Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo named a Beinecke Scholar
Penn junior Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo named a Beinecke Scholar
Junior Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo has been awarded a 2021 Beinecke Scholarship to pursue a graduate education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. She is one of only 16 Beinecke Scholars chosen this year.
Five things to know about Georgia’s new voting law
Five things to know about Georgia’s new voting law
Political scientist Marc Meredith of the School of Arts & Sciences shares his takeaways from the controversial new bill.
The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.
The ‘dreams and nightmares’ of immigration
The ‘dreams and nightmares’ of immigration
Author Liliana Velásquez and journalist Juan González narrated personal and collective histories of Latin American migration to the U.S. in a School of Social Policy & Practice event.
The power of architecture to address public health and environmental crises
The power of architecture to address public health and environmental crises
Two new studies, one on UV sterilization in occupied rooms and another on radiative cooling, show how architecture can help create interior spaces that are both COVID-safe and energy-efficient.
In the News
The New York Times
Unemployment is high. Why are businesses struggling to hire?
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice co-authored a study that found that every 10% increase in unemployment benefits received corresponds to a 3% decline in jobs applied to. “Right now what seems to be happening is that job creation is outpacing the search effort that workers are putting forth,” she said.
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The New York Times
Zoom burnout is real, and it’s worse for women
Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication said the results of a recent Stanford study, which found women scored higher than men on all types of fatigue associated with video calls, were unsurprising but that Zoom itself may not be fully responsible for burnout. “It’s correlational data, and there could be other potential variables at play here,” she said. “When we’re feeling exhausted right now, how full is our emotional or mental tank to begin with?”
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The Guardian
Study reveals alarming trend in US death rates since 2000
Samuel Preston of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about rising mortality rates in the U.S. over the last two decades. Preston and his colleagues attribute the shift in part to this country’s lack of a universal health care system.
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Time
‘Haunted countries deserve haunted stories.’ How America’s history of racial housing discrimination inspired Amazon’s new horror series THEM
Camille Z. Charles of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how discriminatory housing practices like redlining shaped U.S. neighborhoods in the 20th century. “If you take the redlining maps that were used before the passage of fair housing legislation and overlay them on present-day maps of pretty much any major city in the U.S., and certainly any city that has any meaningful Black population, they look really similar in the sense that Blacks are still largely shut out of those neighborhoods that they were legally shut out of during that time period,” she said.
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Business Insider
7 ways to prevent ‘Sunday Sads’ and end your weekend on a high
Cassie Mogilner of the Wharton School said doing chores on Saturday and scheduling recreation for Sunday can help combat dread about the weekend ending, creating “moments of unencumbered joy” on Sundays.
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