Humanities
New Penn Arts & Sciences Faculty
In the 2024–2025 academic year, 27 new faculty join 19 departments.
Through the Fog
On a break from taking photographs for a research project, Peter Decherney, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor in the Humanities, encountered these cabbage farmers in eastern Uganda.
Students of the Occult
In a class this semester, Becky Friedman, C’10, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of English, leads students down the dark, historical spiral of witchcraft, examining its persecutorial past and transition to palatable and raucous entertainment.
The Play(book)’s the Thing
An invaluable resource co-created by Zachary Lesser, Edward W. Kane Professor of English, and for scholars of English Renaissance theater gets a revamp. Take a look at DEEP 2.0.
A Monumental View of the Ten Commandments
Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Assistant Professor Timothy Hogue sees the foundational text as more than just words.
On the Record
Launching a podcast about the experience of being first-generation college students opened up a new world—and skills beyond STEM—for biochemistry major Khaliun Dorjmenchim, C’25.
1.5* Minute Climate Lectures 2024 (Video)
This year’s experts, who spoke during Climate Week at Penn, touched on climate policy, the role of plants in helping solve this challenge, building a utopia through “radical hope,” and more.
Omnia Podcast: Democracy and Decision 2024 Episode Two (Audio)
Diana Mutz, Samuel A. Stouffer Professor of Political Science and Communication, speaks with podcast host and PORES executive director Stephanie Perry about a range of media-related topics, from media consumption to the institution’s influence on how the public understands government and politics.
Just the (Arti)facts
Ethan Nemeth, C’26, spent nine weeks on the Penn Museum’s public engagement team as part of the Summer Humanities Internship Program.
A Pandemic Puzzle
This summer, Matthew Breier, C’26, worked with Associate Professor David Barnes to research how the 1918 flu pandemic affected Philadelphia’s Black and immigrant neighborhoods.
Four Ways Penn Arts & Sciences Is Driving Climate Solutions
Mark Trodden, Associate Dean for the Natural Sciences and Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics, explains the School’s multi-pronged approach to what he calls the “massive, generational issue” of our time.
The Lay of the Land
A research seminar taught by Associate Professor of History Amy Offner delves into the complex history of Latin American and Latinx farmworkers in the United States.
Is Sustainable Development an Oxymoron?
Teresa Giménez, Director of the Spanish Language Program and Lecturer in Foreign Languages, discusses the tensions at play when considering this type of growth in Latin America.
Omnia Podcast: Democracy and Decision 2024 Episode One (Audio)
Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, speaks with podcast host and PORES executive director Stephanie Perry about some of the big questions at the heart of American democracy.
Ribbon-Cutting Marks Dedication of James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies
The physical space provides a new home for Korean Studies and facilitates critical collaboration.