Social Science
60-Second Lectures | Fall 2024 Roundup (Video)
Topics ranged from social learning and the importance of reproductive health to the Civil Rights movement, the city of Philadelphia, and whether dance can exist without music.
Small Seminars Foster Sense of Belonging for New College Students
Sixty first-year seminars offer complex subjects in a comfortable group setting, as well as close connections to professors and peers. This year, 10 are also taking part in a pilot program focused on teaching students how to have respectful dialogue around difficult topics.
From College Community to Career Path
Joyce Kim, an advanced doctoral student in sociology and education, wants to know what motivates undergraduates—especially those who are the first in their families to attend college—to choose the career trajectories that they do.
Inside the Dumping Grounds of Mumbai
PhD candidate Adwaita Banerjee was on a mission to trace the path of recycled plastics through his city. The work led him to ask bigger questions about caste, racialization, class, and dignity.
Summer Reading Picks
Eleven faculty and lecturers from Penn Arts & Sciences share the books they’re reading now that the academic year has wound down.
A Safe Space for Difficult Conversations
How does representation in sexually explicit materials affect the well-being of people who identify as cisgender male, Asian American, and non-heterosexual? It’s a question Steven Chen, C’24, is on a quest to answer.
Addressing Tough Topics
The Living the Hard Promise dialogue series offers a chance for frank conversation about subjects from free speech on campuses to the role of universities.
Students Honored as 2024 Dean’s Scholars
The recognition is given annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
Faculty Bookshelf
Recent books from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty in Music, Sociology, Africana studies, History and Sociology of Science, and History.
Paul Sniegowski Named President of Earlham College
He assumes the role on August 1 after 27 years at Penn, including heading undergraduate programs of the College since 2017.
In Recognition of Outstanding Teaching
The 2024 honorees include 21 people from 11 departments and programs, five of whom received University-wide acknowledgement.
Online Content: Spring/Summer 2024
A small sampling of recent highlights, including videos about the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, student David Kedeme, C’25, and the VIPER Class of 2024.
An Economist’s Take on Illicit Drug Use
Research from Artem Kuriksha, GR’24, found that people will substitute one drug for another, but only in specific ways.
A Graduation Celebration for Penn Arts & Sciences
More than 2,200 students earned degrees from the College, the Graduate Division, and the College of Liberal & Professional Studies.
Terrestrial Forensics with a Maritime Twist
Chelsea Cohen, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology, uses environmental archaeology to investigate the past.