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A lesson in grit from Angela Duckworth
angela duckworth in huntsman hall Angela Duckworth has been studying grit for 15 years, including as part of her doctoral work at Penn. In each class session of her new course on the subject, running for just the second time this semester, students experience an interactive section, a lecture, and a conversation with a gritty person, including Penn President Amy Gutmann, retired Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and celebrity chef David Chang, among others.

A lesson in grit from Angela Duckworth

Her new Grit Lab course, part of the Paideia Program, teaches Penn undergrads how to develop more passion and perseverance for long-term goals.

Michele W. Berger

New seminar series addresses racism and anti-racism in contemporary America
Seated rows of workers with "CASA" shirts on hold signs saying "I deserve $15/hr"

The inaugural session of the preceptorial centered on income and wealth disparities.

New seminar series addresses racism and anti-racism in contemporary America

A new series organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Paideia Program at Penn includes 13 conversations focusing on inequalities across on economic, political, social, and cultural systems. (Pre-pandemic image)

Kristina García

An election night like no other
blurry image of the capitol building The United States Capitol Building at dusk.

An election night like no other

Undergraduates in the Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies worked at NBC helping support its Decision Desk.

Kristen de Groot

‘Perspectives on Fair Housing’ looks back on more than 50 years of landmark legislation
decent housing was just one among many rights that activists were demanding As written on signs during the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963, decent housing was just one among many rights that activists were demanding. (Image: Courtesy Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.)

‘Perspectives on Fair Housing’ looks back on more than 50 years of landmark legislation

A new Penn Press book featuring experts from law, education, urban studies, and social policy presents fair housing as one of the foremost issues facing the U.S. today.

Kristina García

England, Wales, Scotland among nations with highest death toll from COVID-19 pandemic
Person wearing a face mask riding a bike with the London cityscape in the background.

England, Wales, Scotland among nations with highest death toll from COVID-19 pandemic

An international team including Penn demographer Michel Guillot found that from mid-February through May, 21 industrialized nations combined saw an 18% increase in deaths, or 206,000 more people dying from all causes than would have been expected had the pandemic not occurred.

Michele W. Berger

Fostering kittens, plus more Side Gigs for Good
A dog sitting on a couch, with a kitten nuzzled in its lap.

This summer, Morgan Hoke in Penn’s Anthropology department fostered four kittens, including Finch seen here, cuddling with Hoke’s dog Nuna. (Image: Courtesy Morgan Hoke)

Fostering kittens, plus more Side Gigs for Good

Around nearly any corner, the Penn community’s selflessness shines through, despite months apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katherine Unger Baillie, Michele W. Berger

Simple solutions reduce court no-shows, subsequent arrest warrants
Person standing outside of a brick building, in front of a lamppost and shrubbery, arms crossed.

Aurélie Ouss is the Jerry Lee Assistant Professor of Criminology in the Department of Criminology in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Simple solutions reduce court no-shows, subsequent arrest warrants

For low-level offenses in New York City, text nudges and a redesigned summons form decreased failure-to-appear rates by about 20% and led to 30,000 fewer arrest warrants over a three-year period.

Michele W. Berger

New student-created journal offers window to Middle East, North Africa
middle east market

New student-created journal offers window to Middle East, North Africa

Sophomore Laila Shadid and junior Zeynep Karadeniz, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, share a passion for understanding the Middle East—a passion that is now on display in “Fenjan.”

Kristen de Groot

Across U.S. Catholic archdioceses, child protection policies vary widely
Woman in a red jacket standing at a podium with two microphones.

Marci Hamilton, the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program professor of practice, speaking on behalf of the Child Victims Act. (Photo: Courtesy of Marci Hamilton)

Across U.S. Catholic archdioceses, child protection policies vary widely

A report from CHILD USA, led by Professor of Practice Marci Hamilton, found that such policies lack uniformity, aren’t comprehensive, and often don’t take a victim-centered approach.

Michele W. Berger

U.S. COVID deaths may be underestimated by 36%
Morning sun shining through a window in a hospital room with a patient lying in bed attached to tubes and monitors.

U.S. COVID deaths may be underestimated by 36%

The research team found that more of these deaths occurred in places with greater income inequality, more non-Hispanic Black residents, and other factors indicating a pattern related to socioeconomic disadvantage and structural racism.

Michele W. Berger