10.21
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Learn from the experts with the Penn Science and Lightbulb Cafés
The lecture series, hosted by the School of Arts and Sciences, offers a casual setting in which researchers can present their work and engage with the attendees during a Q&A period, giving a glimpse into the research at Penn.
Exploring the human propensity to cooperate
Working with a nomadic group in Tanzania, one of the last remaining nomadic hunter-gatherer populations, Penn psychologists show that cooperation is flexible, not fixed.
Leading the subconscious to accept healthy encouragement
A study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that individual's are more receptive to making healthy life choices when motivation stems from others, not the self.
Philadelphia and Meiji Japan symposium marks 150 years of deep ties
Scholars from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, and the Meiji Jingu Intercultural Research Institute celebrate the 150th anniversary of Japan’s Meiji Restoration, and the surprising links between Philadelphia and Japan during a political period that set the island nation on a fast track to modernization.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies launches online bachelor’s degree
The School of Arts and Sciences’ College of Liberal and Professional Studies has launched a new program that, for the first time, makes an Ivy League bachelor’s degree accessible online. Beginning in the fall of 2019, the Penn LPS Online platform will offer a fully-accredited, online education for working adults and other non-traditional students.
Penn Reading Project gets freshmen on the same page
The Penn Reading Project, in its 28th year, is designed to bring the freshmen class together on one academic project. The Class of 2022 read Thornton Wilder’s “The Bridge of San Luis Rey,” as part of the Provost’s “Year of Why?”
Returning to Vietnam
A child of Vietnamese refugees, David Thai has returned to his family’s homeland as a Fulbright Scholar, where he will teach English at the Hoang Le Kha High School for Gifted Students, in the southwestern region of Vietnam, a few hours from where his mother grew up.
Civics knowledge predicts willingness to protect Supreme Court
The annual Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey found that Americans are familiar with constitutional provisions involving impeachment and pardons, but many are lacking basic civics knowledge, including the three branches of U.S. government.
Through the Knight grant, a new vision for public art
Members of PennDesign, Penn Libraries, and the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation are curating a project to reimagine art and new digital technology.
Cinema studies profs predict this year’s Emmy winners
Cinema and media studies lecturers discuss the tricky and nuanced vetting process that precedes announcing winners at the television awards show, including the politics, business, and social issues surrounding the current “Golden Age” of television.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test: How reliable is it? A Penn prof explains
Theodore Schurr of the School of Arts and Sciences said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s genetic analysis, which used indigenous DNA samples from Peru, Mexico, and Colombia as reference points, was legitimate due to historical migration patterns.
FULL STORY →
“Morning Joe,” MSNBC
Did link between Russian bank, Trump campaign exist?
The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Kathleen Hall Jamieson joined a panel of experts on “Morning Joe” for a discussion about allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. She identified “trolls, hackers, and disinformation to [James] Comey” as major factors in Trump’s win.
FULL STORY →
The Atlantic
Lindsey Graham doesn’t want a primary
In an article by Dick Polman, writer in residence in the School of Arts and Sciences, Brian Rosenwald of the Fox Leadership Program was cited for his political expertise. Lindsey Graham “knows that infuriating the left and the media really poses no risk, given the nature of his state,” said Rosenwald.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Inquirer
This prominent Penn prof didn’t believe Russia got Trump elected. Here’s what changed her mind
The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Kathleen Hall Jamieson was featured for her new book, “Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President.” Though she had initially been “actively skeptical,” Jamieson said, she eventually concluded that the data clearly supported claims of Russian meddling.
FULL STORY →
The Washington Post
1 in 6 older black people have been homeless at some point in their life, study finds
Research from Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice suggests that baby boomers experienced higher rates of homelessness than other generations, though it was unclear how the rates among post-boomer generations were affected by the mortgage crisis of the mid-2000s.
FULL STORY →