Humanities & Society

Ranked among the nation’s top Relay for Life fundraisers, WUSTL’s event also is one of the most fun. Highlights include a tug-of-war, performances from campus acts and a midnight “silent rave.”

Is the American Dream slipping away? Maybe, says Mark R. Rank, PhD, one of the country’s foremost experts on inequality and social justice. “More than at any time in our past,” Rank says, “there are serious questions regarding the American Dream and its applicability to everyday people.” Rank’s new book, “Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes” (Oxford University Press 2014) is out.

WUSTL students are riding a teeter-totter this week to raise money for the Campus Y Strong Community Campaign.

Why are we driven to love, and how do we choose whom to love? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD, has been asking such questions for decades. She will discuss love for the Assembly Series at 5 p.m. Friday, April 4, in Louderman Hall.

For some, spring break is all about relaxing. But some WUSTL students instead traveled across the globe treating patients, planting trees and digging trenches.

Five friends and WUSTL students document their studies and travels abroad — on five continents — through stories and photographs.

Video producer Thomas J. Malkowicz recommends the Banff Mountain Film Fesitval World Tour. He says St. Louis is lucky to be a stop on the globetrotting tour, which showcases heart-stopping short films about adventure, travel and the environment.

Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, of Maine, will have an informal conversation with Washington University in St. Louis students and faculty at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge. The event is sponsored by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.

The use of social media to disseminate information is increasing in local health departments, but a new study, led by Jenine K. Harris, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School finds that Twitter accounts are followed more by organizations than individuals and may not be reaching the intended audience.

Jason Q. Purnell, PhD (left), lead researcher of a landmark multidisciplinary study on African-American health and well-being in St. Louis called “For the Sake of All,” actively engaged with community members March 18 at the Forest Park Visitors Center. The yearlong study held an open house to solicit feedback on the research.