Humanities
Winners of the Ninth Annual Penn Grad Talks (Video)
TED-style talks on crowdfunding in ancient Greece, gender gaps in political tolerance, shyness, opera singers and language, and how to know what you don’t know, took home the day’s top prizes.
Inspiring Figures in Black History (Video)
Three students from the College highlight individuals including journalist and activist Ida B. Wells, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, and John Edmonstone, a taxidermist who trained Charles Darwin.
Modern Medicine and the History of Graverobbing
Using archival documents and primary source material in Philadelphia and Scotland, Catherine Sorrentino, C’25, uncovered what happened to society’s most vulnerable with the rise of “anatomical medicine.”
Unearthing the Secrets of an Ancient Greek City
Classical archaeologist and architectural historian Mantha Zarmakoupi has spent the past four summers excavating the ruins of a city council building at the center of Teos in western Türkiye, in collaboration with the Teos Archaeological Project of Ankara University.
A Dialogue about the Past and Future of Democracy
Ben Talks NYC, which took place this year at the Times Center in front of a crowd of 270 people, featured Jeffrey Green and Michele Margolis of Political Science, Donovan Schaefer of Religious Studies, and Sophia Rosenfeld of History.
From the Front Office to the Mural Wall
Adrian Lorenzo, C’11, was on a fast track in Major League Baseball before walking away to pursue his other passion as an artist. He’s discovered success there, too.
Living Deliberately through Existential Despair (Video)
In a recent Knowledge by the Slice, Professor Justin McDaniel discusses the experiences from two of his Penn courses in which students take on “monastic” challenges and how unplugging from distractions can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and moments of clarity.
Can Sports Fandom Be a Religious Experience?
With the Philadelphia Eagles set to compete for the ultimate prize at Super Bowl LIX, Megan Robb, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, has noticed a “buzz of collective effervescence” in her Religion and Sports class, a space where students discuss ritual and ceremony, debate where sports and religion intersect—even meet the Eagles chaplain.
Uncovering Oscar Wilde’s Library
Sarah Pipkin, C’14, former Penn student turned London librarian, connected the dots to solve a century-old mystery about books belonging to the famous author. The discovery adds to our understanding of LGBTQ history.
One Moment: When Martin Luther King Jr. Studied Philosophy at Penn
The original record card listing the classes lives in the University Archives, a visual reminder of the time the 20-year-old future Civil Rights leader spent on campus.
The Monstrous and Mythical
In his book “Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination,” Jeremy McInerney, Professor of Classical Studies, investigates the power of hybridity in myth.
A Welcome Message from Interim Dean Jeffrey Kallberg
Kallberg, who began his tenure as Interim Dean on January 1, reflects on the “impressive” way the School closed out 2024 and looks ahead to what comes next.
From Periodic Table to Libretto
Growing up the child of a famous scientist, Karyl Charna Lynn, CW’65, was expected to follow her father’s path. She pursued chemistry throughout her schooling, but when she started writing about opera, she knew she’d found her passion.
Processing the Past
A hands-on graduate-level internship course co-taught by Zita Nunes, Associate Professor of English, and Holly Mengel, Head of Archives and Manuscripts Processing at Penn Libraries, reveals the complex world of academic archiving.
2024 Year in Review
As the calendar flips to 2025, we look back at a few of the dozens of stories we had the privilege of sharing this past year.