SHASS

“Being a teacher was something I wanted from the youngest age,” says Cynthia L. Reed Associate Professor of French Studies and Language Bruno Perreau.

Civil rights in a complex world

Professor Bruno Perreau examines the relationships between personal identity and public institutions.

September 12, 2018

“I believe the work of this class is important to the present — and to the future," says MIT President L. Rafael Reif. "What can history teach us now, as we work to invent the future? How can we make sure that the technologies we invent will contribute to making a better world for all?" Pictured: Craig Steven Wilder, the Barton L. Weller Professor of History, and Melissa Nobles, professor of p...

3 Questions: Melissa Nobles and Craig Steven Wilder on the MIT and Legacy of Slavery project

MIT Community Dialogue series is underway as multi-year research continues.

April 30, 2018

Candis Callison SM ’02 PhD ’10, associate professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia Vancouver, will be the guest speaker at MIT’s 2018 Investiture of Doctoral Hoods.

Candis Callison SM '02 PhD '10, professor and award-winning journalist, to speak at 2018 Investiture of Doctoral Hoods

April 3, 2018

The keynote panel at the 10th annual meeting of the Kendall Square Association (KSA) comprised three members of The Boston Globe’s current Spotlight team (from left): reporter Andrew Ryan, columnist Adrian Walker, and editor Patricia Wen. Panel moderator was Malick W. Ghachem (far right), a professor of history at MIT. The team’s latest seven-part project — titled, “Boston. Racism. Image. ...

KSA meeting puts “Spotlight” on region’s diversity issues

At annual event, Boston Globe’s Spotlight team discusses its latest investigation into racism in Boston.

March 30, 2018

Eugenie Brinkema, an associate professor of literature, is an expert on the formal properties of films: their use of light, color, sound, time, and other structural elements that convey sensations and ideas.

Fright makes right

Eugenie Brinkema studies the aesthetics and ethics of horror films.

March 28, 2018

Graham Jones and the cover of "Magic’s Reason" (University of Chicago Press)

A magician’s imperial mission

MIT scholar’s book illuminates how magic became a tool for Western “reason” — and helped form the field of anthropology.

March 27, 2018

“MIT just changed the ways in which I think about the world in a very revolutionary way,” says senior Mehmet Efe Akengin.

Former Math Olympiad medalist embraces social entrepreneurship

MIT senior Mehmet Efe Akengin aims to innovate for the greater good.

March 25, 2018

A team of researchers led by an MIT economist has found that medical expenses account for roughly 4 percent of bankruptcy filings among nonelderly adults in the U.S.

How often do medical problems lead to bankruptcy?

Poor health is a less common cause of bankruptcy than commonly thought, but it brings other economic woes, study finds.

March 21, 2018

Bill Evans, co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, discusses the current evidence on strategies to reduce homelessness.

Conference advances use of data and evaluation in policymaking

Government leaders, social service providers, and leading scholars gathered for the second conference of J-PAL North America’s State and Local Innovation Initiative.

March 7, 2018

Melissa Nobles (far right), Kenan Sahin Dean of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, introduced the panel discussion, "The Consequences: Intelligence and Society," at the launch of the MIT Intelligence Quest on March 1. From left, Gideon Lichfield, editor-in-chief, MIT Technology Review; Rodney Brooks, Panasonic Professor of Robotics, emeritus; Megan Smith, founder and CEO, shi...

MIT Intelligence Quest kicks off

A star-studded lineup helps the Institute celebrate the launch of a new initiative on human and machine intelligence.

March 7, 2018

In the 13th district, the students discovered "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité," a building-mural designed by the artist Shepard Fairey, who gifted it to Paris after the attacks of 2015.

Outstanding MIT students of French explore "Paris et la rue"

In the January Scholars in France program, students discover behind-the-scenes Paris and the city's storied streets.

March 5, 2018

The 2018 MacVicar Faculty fellows are (clockwise from top left): Shankar Raman, David Autor, Merritt Roe Smith, and Christopher Capozzola.

Four professors named 2018 MacVicar Fellows

Autor, Capozzola, Raman, and Smith receive MIT's most prestigious undergraduate teaching award.

March 5, 2018

Photo of MIT's Building 10 at an angle with trees in front

MIT rates No. 1 in 12 subjects in 2018 QS World University Rankings

MIT ranked within top 5 in 19 out of 48 subject areas.

February 28, 2018

“When’s the last time it felt as if an entire theater were about to levitate?” writes Matt Wolf in the New York Times. “The blissful overdrive of Jay Scheib’s production can affect even a relative outlier — ‘Bat Out of Hell’ is all but blasting an adoring audience out of their seats.” Actors Andrew Polec (left) as Strat, Phoebe Hart (center) as Bessamey, and Isaac Edwards (right)...

Q&A: Jay Scheib on theater, daring, and love

MIT professor directs award-winning rock musical “Bat Out of Hell.”

February 27, 2018

Is democracy dying?

Scholars and writers tackle a pressing question at an MIT forum.