Social Sciences | Penn Today

Collaborating with southern Black grandmothers to reimagine scholarship

For an Annenberg School for Communication dissertation, Staci L. Jones and four grandmother co-authors introduce the Kitchen Scholar Framework. Their work embraces knowledge that goes beyond academia.

3 min. read

Melissa Teixeira stands in front of a conference room speaking to students.

Exploring inflation and economics through the lens of history

In Inflationary Times, a history course from Melissa Teixeira, students grappled with big-picture concepts of debt, money, and currency across the globe and through time.

4 min. read

Generative AI can help doctors diagnose patients—but is it biased?

A new study by Annnenberg School for Communication professor Damon Centola tests if AI tools could help improve medical care without increasing bias. The findings suggest that “AI can meaningfully augment physician decision-making without introducing inequities in clinical decisions,” Centola says.

William Reason sitting on a bench outside.

Philosopher in residence

William Reason, who earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in December and will complete his master’s in May, teaches ethics to Philadelphia public high school students via an ethics curriculum he designed as a Philosopher in Residence

5 min. read

Ericka Weathers selected for the William T. Grant Scholars Class of 2030

Weathers, an assistant professor in Penn GSE’s Policy, Organizations, and Leadership division, is one of five early-career researchers who have been selected for the new class of William T. Grant Scholars. Weathers studies the causes and consequences of inequality in K–12 education as well as the effects of K–12 policies on student and school outcomes.

Benjamin Nathans wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction

Nathans, the Alan Charles Kors Endowed Term Professor of History in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1998.

2 min. read

How to get people to share trustworthy information online

New research from the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School for Communication finds that people tend to share news that they find relevant to themselves or to people they know.

How Penn faculty are innovating their assignments

Instructors at Penn are engaging students beyond the traditional essay format or exam.

7 min. read

Penn 2025 graduate awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Rameen Iftikhar, who completed a master’s degree in international education development from the Graduate School of Education in January, has been awarded a 2025 Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which covers the full cost of studying at University of Cambridge in England for as long as four years.