Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Four people speaking from home each on the computer screen in a videoconference

Virtual visitors at the Kelly Writers House

The Kelly Writers House Fellows course continued remotely this semester for the class sessions and public conversations. Last week’s guests were Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham of The New York Times podcast “Still Processing.”

Louisa Shepard ・

Two people sit in a public park in a city playing chess at a park table wearing protective face masks.

Cities and contagion: Lessons from COVID-19

Penn IUR’s inaugural Cities and Contagion: Lessons from COVID-19 initiative brings together experts who can help interpret the pandemic’s implications for urbanization.

From Penn IUR ・

Two students

Improv with an impact

With their President’s Engagement Prize, Wharton School seniors Philip Chen and Meera Menon plan to create The Unscripted Project, a nonprofit that will run 10-week improv courses in Philadelphia public schools, partnering with the Philly Improv Theater.

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In the News


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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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 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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