Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Person wearing face mask and latex gloves stands in an empty subway car holding a newspaper.

Local news volume does not increase pro-social behaviors during COVID-19

Previous research found people were more likely to engage in civic behaviors—like voting, recycling, or wearing a face covering—when their local newspaper includes coverage of these activities. New research finds that may not be as relevant anymore.

From Annenberg School for Communication ・

A crowd of people wearing masks march in the streets, one protester holds a sign reading "Justice for George Floyd."

Can widespread protests bring lasting change?

Amidst the current protests decrying the killings of Black people by police and demand for reforms, Penn Today speaks to political scientist Daniel Gillion about his new book, “The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy.”

Kristen de Groot ・

Haughland and Decherney with VR goggles

Reality replaces virtual reality

What was supposed to be a cinema and media studies course to create virtual reality films on the Philadelphia Museum of Art collections became individual films by the students about the realities and connections to the pieces they researched.

Louisa Shepard ・

Marci Hamilton sits at a table beside large windows overlooking campus.

Child abuse is Marci Hamilton’s Goliath

Marci Hamilton, Fels Institute of Government Professor of Practice, has faced down institutional child abuse for decades—and she is just getting started.

From Omnia ・



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Antifa rumors and hoaxes have stoked real fear in Philadelphia neighborhoods

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says the meaning of “antifa" is being constructed in real time via public discourse. “When you use the word antifa, you’re creating the sense that it actually does exist, normalizing the language of ‘antifa,’ without knowing what the reference is,” she said. “It is becoming a ‘devil term’ on the right—a term that is used to encapsulate everything you’re afraid of.”

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The New York Times

How could human nature have become this politicized?

Research about political polarization in the U.S. by Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication, Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences, and colleagues at Stanford University was cited.

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Wired

America has a sick obsession with COVID-19 polls

Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication said people are sensitive to social cues about health-related behaviors, like mask wearing. “It’s so conspicuous because it’s new, and it’s shifting underneath our feet,” he said.

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The Washington Post

Major U.S. cities, gripped with crisis, now face spike in deadly shootings, including of children

Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences commented on an uptick in gun violence in the U.S. "Every homicide is a tragedy," he said. "It particularly is a tragedy when you see these kids get shot."

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TheHill.com

Trump's mark on federal courts could last decades

Stephen Burbank of the Law School said President Trump has strayed from prior administrations’ efforts to appoint diverse judges to the federal judiciary.

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