School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences

When rats work to protect human safety

PhD student Jia Hui Lee studies global differences in how humans relate to other animals, including rats that detect land mines.

September 5, 2019

MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future has released a report that punctures some conventional wisdom and builds a nuanced picture of the evolution of technology and jobs.

MIT report examines how to make technology work for society

Task force calls for bold public and private action to harness technology for shared prosperity.

September 4, 2019

Andrea Volpe, Council for the Arts at MIT director

Council for the Arts at MIT welcomes Andrea Volpe as new director

The council has funded arts programs at MIT for 47 years.

September 3, 2019

A new study by an MIT linguist shows that the speech calls of some monkeys may be more sophisticated than realized, but are still far removed from the complexity of human language.

Comparing primate vocalizations

Study shows Old World monkeys combine items in speech — but only two and never more, unlike humans.

September 3, 2019

'It's not so much that political discussion on TV used to be so much better than it is today," says MIT media historian Heather Hendershot, "but that there used to be one show that really nailed the best way to discuss politics, and now there are (arguably) no such shows."

3 Questions: Heather Hendershot on the state of US political discourse

Media historian and expert on conservatism considers the end of rational dialog.

August 20, 2019

“I chose MIT because no other political science graduate program had such strengths in both East Asia and security studies,” says Fiona Cunningham PhD ’19. “I want to understand the changing nature of warfare and how new technologies have become both opportunities and restraints for countries in international politics.”

The intersection of technology and war

MIT excels in teaching the science and technology associated with the operation of societies, businesses, and militaries, says Fiona Cunningham PhD ’19.

August 13, 2019

The Lorelei Ensemble performs in "Songs from Extrasolar Spaces: Music Inspired by TESS" on July 30 in MIT's Kresge Auditorium.

The music of the spheres

MIT hosts "Songs from Extrasolar Spaces," a musical melding of art and science inspired by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

August 9, 2019

Certain kinds of political media affect a cross-section of viewers in different ways, and to varying degrees, new research shows.

Does cable news shape your views?

MIT study finds partisan news coverage has a bigger impact on viewers without strong media preferences.

August 7, 2019

MIT students work with University of Regensburg Professor Christian Wolff (center) to create and deliver a six-week entrepreneurship seminar for students in the UR Media Informatics MS program. Pictured: the 2107 Global Startup Labs team.

University of Regensburg and MIT-Germany expand partnership

A new agreement includes student programming, workshops, seed funds, and another five years of growing collaboration.

July 30, 2019

“At a time when human rights are under siege from authoritarian rulers around the world, pulling back and constraining the definition and applicability of human rights is especially vexing,” says John Tirman, executive director and principal research scientist at MIT's Center for International Studies.

3Q: John Tirman on a new US human rights commission

CIS executive director argues a recent commission launched by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is an attempt to redirect the human rights movement.

July 22, 2019

J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition supports education leaders in using randomized evaluations to generate evidence on how technology can improve student learning, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

J-PAL North America announces second round of competition partners

Education, Technology, and Opportunity Innovation Competition aims to improve student learning.

July 17, 2019

At the 2019 LINC conference, keynote speaker Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for Universal Education and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, talked about innovations that aim to scale education to ensure that all young people across the globe develop the skills needed for a fast-changing world.

Making high-quality education accessible to all

Researchers and educators gather at MIT to discuss how to meet the educational needs of a new learning society.

July 15, 2019

Luis Videgaray PhD ’98, former foreign minister and finance minister of Mexico, is coming to MIT to spearhead an effort that aims to help shape global AI policies, focusing on how such rising technologies will affect people living in all corners of the world.

Visiting lecturer to spearhead project exploring the geopolitics of artificial intelligence

At MIT, Luis Videgaray, alumnus and former foreign minister of Mexico, will launch project to help shape international AI policies.

July 12, 2019

Daron Acemoglu named Institute Professor

Versatile economist awarded MIT’s highest faculty honor.

July 10, 2019

Suzanne Berger named inaugural John M. Deutch Institute Professor

Political scientist awarded MIT’s highest faculty honor in new titled position.