Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Study finds most teens avoid rash, impulsive behavior

A new study found that the majority of teenagers avoid the kind of impulsive behavior commonly associated with “typical teenagers,” citing that imbalance models in brain development is evident in only a subset of teens.

Penn Today Staff

Preserving Philadelphia’s Society Hill

The histories of more than 1,500 properties in a storied Philadelphia neighborhood are now accessible on the new website, “Preserving Society Hill.” Working with digital-humanities specialists in the Price Lab and the Libraries, PennDesign’s Francesca Ammon created an interactive map to document this innovative case study in urban renewal.

Louisa Shepard , Louisa Shepard

Camille Z. Charles on the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act

Camille Z. Charles, professor of sociology, Africana studies, and education, and director of the Center for Africana Studies, talks about residential segregation and the promises and failures of the Fair Housing Act in light of the legislation’s 50th anniversary.

Penn Today Staff

Navigating urban waters, with an interdisciplinary approach

With independent research projects and immersive experiences on and near Philadelphia’s waterways, summer fellows with the Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities are collaborating to develop new ways of learning and sharing knowledge.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Bringing art to inner city teens

Renee Andrea Mills of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a passion for helping people and a passion for art, and for the past 25 years, she has combined both in community outreach, sharing the joy of creativity.

Penn Today Staff

Centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth

It has been 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela, elected as South Africa’s first black president after being imprisoned by the apartheid government for nearly three decades. Penn Professor Tukufu Zuberi of the School of Arts and Sciences discusses Mandela’s legacy and his continuing impact today.

Louisa Shepard



In the News


The New York Times

Why losing political power now feels like ‘losing your country’

Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication says that political elites, not average voters, are driving the democratic backsliding that is occurring in America.

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Christian Science Monitor

A majority of Americans no longer trust the Supreme Court. Can it rebuild?

Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a partisan trust gap has emerged in public perception of the Supreme Court as a conservative institution.

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Baltimore Banner

Baltimore expands anti-gun-violence strategy into Eastern District

An analysis released by the Crime and Justice Policy Lab at the School of Arts & Sciences suggests that a group violence reduction strategy drove a 2022 drop in shootings in Baltimore’s Western District.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Comcast’s Sports Complex plan for South Philly would make our city less livable

In an Op-Ed, Vukan R. Vuchic of the School of Engineering and Applied Science says that Philadelphia should make transit more accessible rather than striving to accommodate more cars.

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The New York Times

We don’t see what climate change is doing to us

In an Op-Ed, R. Jisung Park of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that public discourse around climate change overlooks the buildup of slow, subtle costs and their impact on human systems.

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