3.30
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Understanding what makes a fact a fact
Understanding what makes a fact a fact
Professor of History Sophie Rosenfeld and Professor of Education Sigal Ben-Porath unite their perspectives on truth for Penn Today's first “Understand This ...” podcast episode.
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
The visiting scholar discusses the social innovation class he is teaching, plus why it’s key to focus on local civil rights victories and the need to take a long view of history.
The history behind International Women’s Day
The history behind International Women’s Day
Kristen R. Ghodsee, professor of Russian and East European studies, talks to Penn Today about the global holiday’s history, and why America has been late to embrace it.
A friendship born through marginalization
A friendship born through marginalization
At the turn of the 20th century, Julian Abele and Louis Magaziner—a Black man and an immigrant Jew—were standouts in Penn’s School of Fine Arts about to launch distinguished careers in architecture. They were also beginning what would be a lifelong friendship. A Magaziner descendant and Abele admirer investigates what brought them together.
Super Tuesday takeaways
Super Tuesday takeaways
Super Tuesday votes in 14 states offered some surprises and seem to have dramatically transformed the Democratic bid for president.
The curious case of ancient bear bones at a Mississippi dig site
The curious case of ancient bear bones at a Mississippi dig site
Penn and UNC Chapel Hill researchers theorize that the considerable black bear remains indicate an animal that was a food source and considered close kin to the people who lived there 1,300 years ago.
With ‘The Sacramento of Desire,’ Julia Bloch completes a personal trilogy
With ‘The Sacramento of Desire,’ Julia Bloch completes a personal trilogy
The creative writing professor’s most recent book of poetry focuses on her desire for making a family as a member of the queer community.
Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas
Documentary filmmaking in the Himalayas
Supported by National Geographic and other grants, seniors Alina Peng and Charles Zhang traveled to Bhutan to discover how villagers are coping with the effects of water scarcity and climate change.
Ecuador’s vice president talks biodiversity protection
Ecuador’s vice president talks biodiversity protection
Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner spoke to a packed Perry World House about protecting the environment while balancing economic growth.
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
How do you talk about cancer risk? How do you make major life decisions knowing you are likely to develop cancer? Allison Werner-Lin looks at these questions, studying the intersection of genetics and family life.
In the News
The Washington Post
Trump’s sarcastic response to Mitt Romney’s negative test for coronavirus follows years of bad blood
Claire Finkelstein of the Law School commented on President Trump’s negative reaction to Mitt Romney’s self-quarantine. “[Trump] would have had a moment there to unify the country around this crisis and to show his moral leadership in doing so,” she said.
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The Washington Post
These social policies could help the U.S. cope with the coronavirus pandemic
Julia Lynch of the School of Arts and Sciences wrote about the U.S.’s structural vulnerabilities to the effects of COVID-19 and what we can learn from other wealthy democracies about how to cope.
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The Hill
Lessons learned in an emergency
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno wrote about how the U.S. can apply lessons learned from the past to the coronavirus pandemic. “The country needs to reorient itself to the advantages that the U.S. military can provide in this crisis,” he wrote. “If we look at our recent history, we will find lessons that can help with tactics and strategy.”
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The Washington Post
How can Trump fight the pandemic when he’s chasing experts out of government?
John Gans of Perry World House wrote about the administration’s removal of “disloyal” civil servants and the effect on the effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “This sort of purge is undermining government at a time when it is needed most,” he wrote.
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The New York Times
Fed could bolster groups of businesses and localities with funds in G.O.P. bill
Peter Conti-Brown of the Wharton School said the Federal Reserve should avoid helping specific industries with emergency funding. The banking system has a “convenient set of easy tools that allow policymakers and politicians to skip the burden of their own accountability,” said Conti-Brown. “It’s the kind of set the Fed does not want to make today—which is to pick winners and losers.”
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