Humanities & Society

The WashU Institute for School Partnership has received a grant to explore how artificial intelligence can enhance the efficiency, reach and quality of instructional coaching while preserving human expertise and teacher agency. 

Research by Daniel Butler, a professor of political science in WashU Arts & Sciences, suggests that candidates aligned with President Trump are advancing, in part, because disappointed 2024 Republican voters are opting out of this year’s intraparty contests.

As voters are increasingly asked to decide complex health policy questions at the ballot box, new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that healthcare-related ballot measures draw more voters to the polls and are more likely to pass than other initiatives — but they’re also especially sensitive to opposition spending by special interest groups.

WashU Law’s national moot court team finished among the top four teams at the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, the largest and most competitive moot court competition in the country.

A new paper published in the Harvard Data Science Review outlines complementary models for rethinking how data is used in the social sector, emphasizing that technical expertise alone is not enough to ensure fair and effective outcomes. 

Douglas Flowe, an associate professor of history in WashU Arts & Sciences, has been named a 2026-27 fellow of the National Humanities Center.

Natalie Mueller, ​an assistant professor of archaeology in WashU Arts & Sciences, is one of two recipients of the Cromwell Harbor Foundation’s inaugural Chrysalis Prize, which recognizes promising early-career scholars with $250,000 in unrestricted support, mentorship and entry into a growing cohort of multidisciplinary thinkers.

John Inazu, the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion at WashU Law, received Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance 2026 Senior Scholar Award.