Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

How police killings of black Americans affect communities

Black Americans are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts, with even larger disparities among those who are unarmed. The trend is also harming the mental health of the black community.

Making sense of what’s happening at the border

Despite a recent executive order, serious questions remain regarding the 2,300 migrant children who have been separated from their families and detained in the U.S. Penn experts weigh in on many of the issues involved.

Doctoral candidate Caitlin Clements lead research showing that that individuals with autism spectrum disorder respond differently to social and non-social rewards than typically developing children.

New insight into autism and reward circuitry in the brain

New research reveals people with autism spectrum disorder respond differently to social and non-social cues than typically developing individuals, and might not respond to rewards for desired behavior.

Representing slavery in children’s literature

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas of the Graduate School of Education discusses her work exploring depictions of slavery in children’s books.

Reclaiming a fragmented history

Digital humanities scholars are orchestrating an epic crowdsourcing effort to sort and transcribe handwriting on thousands of documents discarded hundreds of years ago, known as the Cairo Geniza.

Examining 20th-century America’s obsession with poor posture, a forgotten ‘epidemic’

Poor posture was considered a real threat to the nation’s health through much of the 20th century. Beth Linker of the School of Arts and Sciences is investigating the history of this forgotten “epidemic” and how its legacy is reflected in notions of health and disability today.

Penn Integrates Knowledge professor Michael Platt

Hormones flatten social hierarchy and synchronize behaviors

Findings from a study of male rhesus macaques from PIK professor Michael Platt and postdoc Yaoguang Jiang could lead to treatment options for social impairments in disorders like autism and schizophrenia.

The transforming power of global aid on health care—and care giving

Foreign aid makes up close to half of Mozambique’s national health care budget. In a new book, Ramah McKay of the School of Arts and Science lends a critical eye toward how this influx of global health dollars is felt on the ground, by caregivers and patients alike.

33rd Philadelphia Children’s Festival offers three days of performing arts fun

Now in its 33rd year, the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ushers in a three-day wave of merriment with the Philadelphia Children’s Festival, marked by its interdisciplinary lineup of performing arts acts.

Melissa G. Hunt is the associate director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is also author of the book “Reclaim Your Life from IBS: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Relief without Restrictive Diets.”

New ‘match’ streamlines clinical training experience for psych graduate students

A new “match” for clinical psychology graduate students connects trainees with potential externship sites. In its second year, the initiative successfully matched more than 250 trainees in the mid-Atlantic region.

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