Penn Arts & Sciences in the News

The Conversation

International Election Monitors Can Help Boost People’s Trust in the Electoral Process—But Not All Work the Same Way

November 1, 2024

In a piece Sarah Bush, Associate Professor of Political Science, wrote with colleague Lauren Prather of the University of California, San Diego, the pair argue that giving greater access and paying more attention to credible, nonpartisan election monitors in the U.S. could increase public confidence in elections.

NPR

Unknown Chopin Waltz Identified at Morgan Library and Museum in New York

October 31, 2024

Jeffrey Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music, helped verify the authenticity of a recently discovered unknown work by the famous composer. “The way that Chopin writes clefs, the way that he writes noteheads and stems, the way that he writes dynamics, the color of the ink—all of those immediately said Chopin,” Kallberg says. 
 

The Art Newspaper

A New Study Seeks to Establish Ethical Collecting Practices for US Museums

October 29, 2024

Professor of Anthropology Richard Leventhal and Adjunct Assistant Professor Brian I. Daniels are co-leading a new study of museum collections to identify current standards and establish a framework for institutions to model their future practices. “Recent seizures of looted property and calls to decolonise collections force us to reconsider whether acquisitions best serve the missions of museums and the interests of their communities,” Leventhal says. 

The New York Times

Hear a Chopin Waltz Unearthed After Nearly 200 Years

October 27, 2024

“My jaw dropped,” says Jeffrey Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music. “I knew I had never seen this before.” Kallberg, a leading Chopin expert, helped authenticate a score that turned out to be an unknown waltz from the late composer. Click through to listen to the piece.

ABC News

Could Teenage Voters Swing Pennsylvania?

October 22, 2024

“There’s really been a much greater and much more visible investment in registering new voters and doing get-out-the-vote efforts in Philadelphia this year,” says Professor of Political Science Matthew Levendusky. It could matter, he adds, given the “battle of inches” between the two presidential candidates. 

The New York Times

Trump, Harris, and the Enduring Symbolism of McDonald’s

October 21, 2024

In an op-ed for The New York Times, Marcia Chatelain, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies and author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, argues that the “McDonaldization” of U.S. politics has a long history—and continues today, as both candidates play up the economic mobility “role” of the fast food chain.

NPR

Why Pennsylvania Could Be the Key to the White House

October 21, 2024

Daniel Hopkins, Julie and Martin Franklin Presidential Professor of Political Science, discusses the politically strategic reason for bombarding state residents with TV ads. “Candidates are better off when they can persuade voters, because if they persuade a voter, they not only add one to their tally, but they take one out of their opponents tally.”

USA Today

Could Global Warming Make our Winter Weather Worse? New Study Offers Insights

October 18, 2024

Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, comments on a new study he was not involved with, saying there’s a weight of evidence that Arctic warming may be impacting the behavior of the jet stream and leading to more extreme weather.

The Associated Press

What’s a ‘Jezebel Spirit’? Some Christians Use the Term to Paint Kamala Harris with a Demonic Brush

October 18, 2024

Anthea Butler, Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought, says that faith leaders who are tying Kamala Harris to Jezebel are falsely suggesting that she’s non-Christian, using coded language to communicate she is not an acceptable candidate.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Why Sen. Bob Casey Has Changed Positions on Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage

October 16, 2024

According to Daniel Hopkins, Julie and Martin Franklin Presidential Professor of Political Science, candidates in Senate races no longer solely emphasize their local roots, instead often focusing nationally. “If one candidate benefits from nationalizing, the other candidate usually does not,” Hopkins says.

NPR

The Battle For Jerusalem

October 3, 2024

Paul Cobb, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, discusses the historical significance of Jerusalem and its importance to Islam and Christianity during the First Crusade.

The New York Times

MacArthur Foundation Announces 2024 ‘Genius’ Grant Winners

October 1, 2024

Dorothy Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology, has been named a MacArthur Fellow for her work on racial inequities in health and social-service systems.