4.21
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
History is the ‘narratives we tell’
History is the ‘narratives we tell’
To understand how ideas about racial difference took root in American history, Makiki Reuvers, a Ph.D. candidate in history, examines 17th-century encounters between British colonists and Native Americans.
Young and middle-age adults in the U.S. dying at higher rates
Young and middle-age adults in the U.S. dying at higher rates
According to a new National Academies report, cardiometabolic conditions now join drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicide as significant mortality causes. In a Q&A, demographer Irma Elo explains.
Working at the intersection of data science and public policy
Working at the intersection of data science and public policy
Ken Steif’s new book, “Public Policy Analytics: Code & Context for Data Science in Government,” available online and in print, provides guidance for how governments and policymakers can use data and algorithms to solve complex service-delivery problems.
A conversation on the media, truth telling, and social equity
For the Office of Social Equity & Community’s inaugural event, a group of panelists—including several renowned experts in the media industry—gathered virtually to discuss the past, present, and future of journalism in the U.S.
‘Alone Again in Fukushima’
‘Alone Again in Fukushima’
On the 10th anniversary of the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear facility destruction, a film and discussion hosted by the Center for East Asian Studies looked at the calamity’s reverberations.
The evolving science of face masks and COVID-19
The evolving science of face masks and COVID-19
Experts agree that masks should be used—and increasingly, they are emphasizing the use of better masks to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
James Corner elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters
James Corner elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters
The professor emeritus and renowned landscape architect and urban designer has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, widely considered the highest form of recognition of artistic merit in the United States.
Graphic histories: Understanding the Middle East and Africa through comics
Graphic histories: Understanding the Middle East and Africa through comics
A virtual panel at the Middle East Center explored why this type of sequential art has gained popularity and how the art form can transform the way people think about history.
John Legend receives Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship 2021 Alumni Achievement Award
John Legend receives Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship 2021 Alumni Achievement Award
Legend, an undergraduate alumnus, was recently honored by Venture Lab, the University’s entrepreneurship center, during a virtual livestream event.
Transcending movement with Philadanco!
Transcending movement with Philadanco!
In a live virtual performance, principal dancers from Philadanco! performed “Oshun” before sitting down to a conversation on dancing, choreography, and choice.
In the News
The New York Times
Unemployment is high. Why are businesses struggling to hire?
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice co-authored a study that found that every 10% increase in unemployment benefits received corresponds to a 3% decline in jobs applied to. “Right now what seems to be happening is that job creation is outpacing the search effort that workers are putting forth,” she said.
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The New York Times
Zoom burnout is real, and it’s worse for women
Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication said the results of a recent Stanford study, which found women scored higher than men on all types of fatigue associated with video calls, were unsurprising but that Zoom itself may not be fully responsible for burnout. “It’s correlational data, and there could be other potential variables at play here,” she said. “When we’re feeling exhausted right now, how full is our emotional or mental tank to begin with?”
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The Guardian
Study reveals alarming trend in US death rates since 2000
Samuel Preston of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about rising mortality rates in the U.S. over the last two decades. Preston and his colleagues attribute the shift in part to this country’s lack of a universal health care system.
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Time
‘Haunted countries deserve haunted stories.’ How America’s history of racial housing discrimination inspired Amazon’s new horror series THEM
Camille Z. Charles of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how discriminatory housing practices like redlining shaped U.S. neighborhoods in the 20th century. “If you take the redlining maps that were used before the passage of fair housing legislation and overlay them on present-day maps of pretty much any major city in the U.S., and certainly any city that has any meaningful Black population, they look really similar in the sense that Blacks are still largely shut out of those neighborhoods that they were legally shut out of during that time period,” she said.
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The New York Times
A novel effort to see how poverty affects young brains
Martha Farah of the School of Arts & Sciences commented on a study exploring the links between poverty and brain development. “It is definitely one of the first, if not the first” study in this developing field to have direct policy implications, she said.
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