Humanities & Society

Covering everything from social media to bitcoin to AI, a timely and all-too-topical political science course challenges students to think differently.

A new federal government interpretation allowing churches to endorse political candidates will cause division in churches and sets the stage for the U.S. government to favor politically aligned religions, says Mark Valeri, an American religious historian at Washington University in St. Louis.

WashU privacy law expert Neil Richards had a unique opportunity this year to put his training to use: He was named an ombudsman to guide the courts on how genetic data owned by 23andMe should be handled during its sale.

Mark D. West, a renowned legal scholar and former dean of the University of Michigan Law School, has been appointed provost of Washington University in St. Louis, effective August 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

Two Brown School faculty members have been awarded a combined $1.4 million in grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support research focused on improving economic mobility and reducing wealth disparities. 

Thirteen teachers from across the St. Louis region have been selected to work with WashU faculty members for the 2025 Summer Teacher-Researcher Program. Administered in collaboration with the university’s Institute for School Partnership, the program provide professional development opportunities for area K-12 teachers.

Alumnus Mike Bezemek has turned a lifelong love of the outdoors into an enterprising writing career. His latest nonfiction book, Mysteries of the National Parks, is a thrilling read and a reminder to look beyond the obvious for answers and adventure.

The Rev. Callista Isabelle, the inaugural director for religious, spiritual and ethical life at WashU, received this year’s Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award, which is given to a staff member who exceeds their daily work duties to make a positive impact on employees and the university at large.

Betsy Sinclair, who studies how politics influence social relationships, was installed recently as the Thomas F. Eagleton University Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science in Arts & Sciences.

Rebecca Messbarger, professor of Italian in Arts & Sciences, has published a chapter titled “Popes, the Body, Medicine, and the Cult of Saints after Trent” as part of “The Cambridge History of the Papacy, Volume III: Civil Society.”