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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Bob Dylan as a modern-day prophet
In his new book, political theorist and professor Jeffrey Green takes a unique view of the famous musician.
How direct cash assistance aids cancer patients from low-income households
A new study by Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice examines the potential of a joint program between Bradley Cooper’s One Family Foundation and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation Institute for Health Equity on health care and economic insecurity.
Public health beliefs predict support for climate action
New research from the Annenberg Public Policy Center examines the relationship between health-related beliefs about climate change and support for climate policy proposals.
Redlining and rentals
Historian Brent Cebul in the School of Arts & Sciences is working on a new digital mapping project looking at the impact of Federal Housing Administration policies on the availability of affordable rental housing post-World War II.
The anthropology of plastics in India
Doctoral candidate Adwaita Banerjee uses ethnographic research to document the ecological transition of the Deonar dumping ground, where thousands of Dalits and Muslim migrants mine the area for plastic that can be resold and recycled.
Takeaways from the U.K. elections
Political scientist Brendan O’Leary of the School of Arts & Sciences offers his take on the Labour Party’s landslide victory and what it means going forward.
Social media use is associated with more frequent vaccination
Researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that more social media use actually correlates with more vaccination, but the reasons differ between Democrats and Republicans.
Path to 2024 series highlights realities of American attitudes
Focusing on corporate political action, AI, immigration, and more, the Polarization Research Lab aims to dispel myths about partisan beliefs.
Five takeaways from the Biden-Trump debate
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, discusses the Annenberg Debate Reform Working Group along with some thoughts on last week’s presidential debate.
Duncan Watts and CSSLab’s New Media Bias Detector
PIK Professor Duncan Watts and colleagues have developed the Media Bias Detector, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze news articles, examining factors like tone, partisan lean, and fact selection.
In the News
International Women’s Day is a celebration and a call to action. Here are things to know
Kristen Ghodsee of the School of Arts & Sciences explores the history of International Women’s Day as a tool for activism in Russia.
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Preserving Assyria explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq
Michael Danti of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Museum’s latest exhibit, “Preserving Assyria,” which explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq and showcases the rise of the New Assyrian Empire.
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What did you do at work last week? Monitoring performance doesn’t improve it, expert says
Adam Grant of the Wharton School says that people do their best work when they’re given a chance to pursue autonomy, mastery, belonging, and purpose.
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2,600-year-old jewelry stash from ancient Egypt includes gold statuette depicting family of gods
Shelby Justl of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Karnak Temple in Egypt was dedicated to the worship of a “golden triad” of deities.
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After years of anti-vaccine advocacy, RFK Jr. said vaccines protect children. But experts say he must go further amid measles outbreak
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Jessica McDonald of APPC’s Factcheck.org comment on the need to debunk vaccine misinformation in public health messaging.
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