Humanities & Society

Is music universal? To answer that question, Christopher Lucas, assistant professor of political science, worked with colleagues from Princeton and Harvard to analyze music from 315 societies from across the planet. Their findings are published in the Nov. 21 issue of Science.

The book “Recipes for Respect: African American Meals and Meaning”(2019) by Rafia Zafar, professor of English and of African-American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, is featured in a new exhibition celebrating the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library.

The Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ College and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design announce a new round of Divided City faculty collaborative grants.

The newly formed Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis will bring together the best research evidence from across disciplines to solve real-world challenges. The institute launches Sept. 24.

International social work students recently completed work in a first-of-its-kind intensive summer seminar focused on advanced research methods. The event was presented thanks to an ongoing partnership between Washington University in St. Louis and its McDonnell International Scholars Academy partner Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr., associate professor of women, gender and sexuality studies and of African and African-American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, has been named co-editor of the inaugural “New Sexual Worlds” book series.

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused the Trump administration of “running concentration camps on our southern border,” a political firestorm erupted. But a question remained. Was the comparison justified? Arts & Sciences historian Anika Walke, a scholar of the Holocaust, offers perspective.

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to engaging with its global partners to help address our biggest challenges together. This spirit of collaboration was evident at the inaugural meeting of the Africa initiative, held April 23 on the Danforth Campus.

“Few chefs of African descent work at the pinnacle of our national haute cuisine today, yet their contributions to American kitchens and dining rooms have been definitive.” So argues Rafia Zafar, professor of English and of African-American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, in her new book “Recipes for Respect: African American Meals and Meaning.”