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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
The inaugural Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement fellowship cohort
The inaugural Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement fellowship cohort
The Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement fellowship supports scholarship and civic engagement in West Philadelphia. Paul Wolff Mitchell, an anthropology doctoral student, and Michael Vazquez, a philosophy doctoral student, are the inaugural cohort.
What is your risk from smoking? Your network knows
What is your risk from smoking? Your network knows
A new study from researchers at the Annenberg School for Communication found that most people—smokers and nonsmokers alike—were nowhere near accurate in their answers to questions about the health effects of smoking.
FactCheck.org debunks coronavirus myths
FactCheck.org debunks coronavirus myths
Since China first reported an atypical cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan in late December, myths abound about the virus responsible for the outbreak, the novel coronavirus. To combat misinformation, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org has published a series of articles countering common misunderstandings and mistruths.
Designs for what the future can be
Designs for what the future can be
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s “Designs for Different Futures” exhibition includes contributions and installations from several Penn faculty and alumni who seek to answer questions about what the not-so-distant future may look like.
Nourishing the brain with conversations about food
Nourishing the brain with conversations about food
A yearlong colloquium from Penn Anthropology offers a steady diet of research perspectives, delving into how this facet of culture affects modern health and practices, and broadens our historical outlook.
The Amish and the Anthropocene
The Amish and the Anthropocene
Nicole Welk-Joerger, a doctoral candidate in the Department of History and Sociology of Science, discusses what a technology adopted by the Amish can tell us about climate change and the future.
International film and the Oscars
International film and the Oscars
Cinema & Media Studies Senior Lecturer Meta Mazaj describes Hollywood's traditional attitude toward international films and the chances of Korean film “Parasite” winning Best Picture at the Oscars.
Experts weigh in on the future of U.S.-China relations
Experts weigh in on the future of U.S.-China relations
Huang Ping, China’s consul general in New York, and Robert Work, former U.S. deputy secretary of defense, were among the speakers at the annual Penn China Research Symposium.
Vincent Reina on housing, barriers, and what we need from housing policy
Vincent Reina on housing, barriers, and what we need from housing policy
New challenges to the housing market and its policies are “unprecedented,” say the Penn Design professor. He outlines potential improvements to the country’s largest affordable rental housing programs and the possibility of retrofitting housing to help reduce utility cost burdens.
Amy Offner traces the roots of neoliberalism in Latin America
Amy Offner traces the roots of neoliberalism in Latin America
Decades of negative media attention have reinforced Colombia’s reputation as a violent region controlled by drug cartels. Amy Offner views the nation through a much different lens.
In the News
The Washington Post
Trump’s sarcastic response to Mitt Romney’s negative test for coronavirus follows years of bad blood
Claire Finkelstein of the Law School commented on President Trump’s negative reaction to Mitt Romney’s self-quarantine. “[Trump] would have had a moment there to unify the country around this crisis and to show his moral leadership in doing so,” she said.
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The Washington Post
These social policies could help the U.S. cope with the coronavirus pandemic
Julia Lynch of the School of Arts and Sciences wrote about the U.S.’s structural vulnerabilities to the effects of COVID-19 and what we can learn from other wealthy democracies about how to cope.
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The Hill
Lessons learned in an emergency
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno wrote about how the U.S. can apply lessons learned from the past to the coronavirus pandemic. “The country needs to reorient itself to the advantages that the U.S. military can provide in this crisis,” he wrote. “If we look at our recent history, we will find lessons that can help with tactics and strategy.”
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The Washington Post
How can Trump fight the pandemic when he’s chasing experts out of government?
John Gans of Perry World House wrote about the administration’s removal of “disloyal” civil servants and the effect on the effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “This sort of purge is undermining government at a time when it is needed most,” he wrote.
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The New York Times
Fed could bolster groups of businesses and localities with funds in G.O.P. bill
Peter Conti-Brown of the Wharton School said the Federal Reserve should avoid helping specific industries with emergency funding. The banking system has a “convenient set of easy tools that allow policymakers and politicians to skip the burden of their own accountability,” said Conti-Brown. “It’s the kind of set the Fed does not want to make today—which is to pick winners and losers.”
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