Penn Arts & Sciences

The University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences forms the foundation of the scholarly excellence that has established Penn as one of the world's leading research universities. We teach students across all 12 Penn schools, and our academic departments span the reach from anthropology and biology to sociology and South Asian studies.

Members of the Penn Arts & Sciences faculty are leaders in creating new knowledge in their disciplines and are engaged in nearly every area of interdisciplinary innovation. They are regularly recognized with academia's highest honors, including membership in prestigious societies like the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, as well as significant prizes such as MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships.

The educational experience offered by Penn Arts & Sciences is likewise recognized for its excellence. The School's three educational divisions fulfill different missions, united by a broader commitment to providing our students with an unrivaled education in the liberal arts. The College of Arts and Sciences is the academic home of the majority of Penn undergraduates and provides 60 percent of the courses taken by students in Penn's undergraduate professional schools. The Graduate Division offers doctoral training to over 1,300 candidates in more than 30 graduate programs. And the College of Liberal and Professional Studies provides a range of educational opportunities for lifelong learners and working professionals.

 

 

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 6419
  • Publication
    Waste and Scope 3 Emissions: Assessment of Value Chain Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S. Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Industry
    (2025) Higa, Erica
    In calendar year 2022, five of the 45 largest waste companies in the United States (“US”) contributed over 106 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, as the global climate crisis nears irreversible tipping points, society at large must reduce anthropogenic, or human-caused, GHG emissions by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach a net-zero emission rate by 2050. Achieving these reductions requires standard measurement and reporting methodologies. As of 2023, most US solid waste and resource recovery companies accurately and transparently report Scope 1 (direct and controllable) and Scope 2 (indirect from purchased utilities) emissions. However, only five of the 45 largest waste companies in the US reported on Scope 3, or indirect value chain emissions, in the 2023 reporting cycle. This report presents a comprehensive analysis of 2023 waste industry reporting and identifies areas of (dis)consensus regarding material emission sources. As of said reporting, Scope 1 accounts for on average 87 percent of companies’ combined Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, while Scope 3 accounts on average for 12 percent. Thus, it is recommended that waste companies immediately prioritize Scope 1 emission reductions, while simultaneously implementing Scope 3 monitoring programs that focus on the industry’s material Scope 3 sources: purchased goods and assets, fuel-related lifecycle emissions, and third-party transportation services. By accounting for Scope 3 alongside Scope 1 and 2 emissions, companies will be poised to meet and exceed sustainability goals and explore new business development opportunities while maintaining resiliency against climate, financial, and legal risk. Deeper emissions literacy among sustainability professionals and leadership will be key to redesigning a more efficient global value chain. Ultimately, a collaborative business sector will play a major role in solving the 21st Century’s most pressing issue: the global climate crisis.
  • Publication
    Positive Leadership at CHRIS 180: Leveraging Positive Psychology to Weather Uncertain Times
    (2024-05-06) Uman Borrero, Gaia; Diamond, Shea; Emambakhsh, Sahar; Gott, Niels
    This project examines the integration of positive psychology into leadership development at CHRIS 180, a non-profit organization providing trauma-informed care. CHRIS 180 has undergone significant growth, necessitating a leadership approach that aligns with its core values of creativity, honor, respect, integrity, and safety. The intervention employs the PERMA model, which emphasizes positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, to enhance the leadership capabilities within the organization. Results from the implementation suggest that positive psychology can significantly improve leadership development, leading to a more resilient and effective organizational culture. The implications of this work are profound, indicating that positive psychology interventions can be instrumental for organizations in managing rapid growth and mitigating the risks of burnout and compassion fatigue. This approach could serve as a model for similar organizations aiming to foster a supportive and thriving environment amidst challenging circumstances. Keywords: positive psychology, leadership development, trauma-informed care, PERMA, organizational growth, compassion fatigue, character strengths, communication strategies, crisis management, wraparound services, psychological safety, mattering
  • Publication
    How the United States Killed Its Cities: An Analysis of Urban Transportation and Segregation in Philadelphia
    (2022-05-16) Coleman, Luke
    Why, in the United States, do we see such dramatic racial sorting across metropolitan areas? More than 50 years removed from the Civil Rights Movement which altered American social life, why is urban residential segregation still a dominant feature in the United States? The scholarly literature has yet to come to a consensus. There are two broad and well-researched areas of social science that attempt to uncover why neighborhoods in American cities are so racially homogenous. One espouses the belief that racial groups prefer to live near each other. The other upholds the idea that the American government squandered the wealth of communities of color and made it impossible for them to integrate with white people. A burgeoning area of research involves a combination of these two fields: racial groups may frequently prefer to live near each other, but even if they did not, American private and public institutions have made wealth building and residential mobility incredibly difficult for communities of color. This project seeks to supplement this flourishing literature on the American government’s role in fomenting racial segregation by analyzing an often overlooked public good—public transit. To do so, this project uses Philadelphia as a case study, examining how the legacy of redlining continues to impact citizens and how effective, equitable public transit has the capacity to reduce the harmful effects of this legacy, but often fails to do so. This project employs a mixed-methods approach. I use interviews and participant-observation, in pursuit of a community-based comprehension of this policy failure, to understand Philadelphians’ relationship with public transit. Targets of this research are primarily areas simultaneously experiencing lower incomes and limited access to transit relative to the rest of the city. I conclude that Philadelphia’s transit agency, SEPTA, is not sufficiently effective in counteracting the effects of segregation on wealth-building for low-income communities and communities of color.
  • Publication
    How Physicists Get Started Thinking About New Phenomena
    (2024-07-26) Nelson, Philip C.
    Main ideas of dimensional reasoning are outlined starting with high-school physics and arriving at Planck's universal units.
  • Publication
    ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO SYNTHETIC-BASED DYEING ON COTTON: A COMPARATIVE SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS
    (2024) Rajesh, Anindita
    The fashion industry is currently one of the largest consumers and polluters of water. The most commonly used method of textile dyeing, using synthetic dyes, is extremely water- intensive, and the chemicals used in the production and application of these dyes leach into freshwater sources, posing a threat to both public and environmental health. This research aims to assess and compare two alternative dyeing techniques – plant-based and microbial dyes – by examining their color intensity and their impact on water consumption, waste and the environment. Each method was tested on both non-mordanted and mordanted cotton strips over periods of 24 hours and 72 hours. Photographs were taken of each cotton sample following each dyeing process, and the water remaining after the dye creation and application process was measured. It was found that microbial dyes, extracted from Serratia marcescens cultures, had stronger colorfastness than the plant-dyes obtained from onion peels, beet scraps, and avocado pits. The microbial dye yielded a bright pink color, that did not fade after sterilization, sunlight exposure, and washing, while the plant-based dye yielded a yellow-brown color that exhibited some fading. There was no difference seen between the mordanted and non-mordanted fabrics, so it is therefore recommended that a mordant not be used, to further reduce water and chemical usage within the dyeing process. While plant-based dyes are currently used by several fashion brands, microbial dyes have not been produced on a large scale. With sufficient upfront monetary investments and dedication towards research, companies with varying degrees of sustainability commitments can adopt the use of microbial dyes, using much of the same machinery and techniques currently employed in dyeing facilities. As clothing manufacturers begin to face increasing pressure to evaluate and improve sustainability throughout their supply chain, introducing microbial dyes can help reduce and eventually eliminate the need for synthetic dyes, allowing for a large reduction in a company’s water-consumption and overall environmental footprint. Making this switch will therefore allow for improved water quality and availability for communities surrounding clothing manufacturers.
  • Publication
    Digital Frontlines: The Emerging Role of Cryptocurrencies in Hybrid Warfare & Geopolitics
    (College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal (CUREJ), 2023-04-30) Stephanie Hwang
    As the digital landscape has evolved over the past several decades, scholars have noted that cyberspace has emerged as a new frontier for conflict, challenging conventional war paradigms and revealing the limitations of existing legal and normative frameworks. Amidst this evolving landscape, cryptocurrencies both present high economic promise and highlight the need for necessary safeguards to ensure that their economic potential is not compromised. This thesis delves into the potential exploitation of cryptocurrencies by the Axis of Autocracy, the subsequent consequences for the global geopolitical landscape, and the wisdom gleaned from the international community's past experiences with geopolitical destabilization. By focusing on Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), namely North Korea's Lazarus Group, this research highlights the innovative and disruptive nature of hybrid warfare within the cryptocurrency realm. It underscores the dual-edged nature of cryptocurrencies: as instruments of significant economic empowerment and innovation, and as tools potentially manipulated in the service of hybrid warfare. The analysis scrutinizes the geopolitical threat posed by APTs’ use of crypto as a means of waging hybrid war against the West, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration and regulatory oversight to harness the full potential of cryptocurrencies while mitigating their vulnerabilities. In an era marked by the continuous blurring of boundaries between peace and conflict, this thesis offers invaluable insights and recommendations for policymakers, finance experts, and academics striving to understand and address the complexities of cybersecurity and international relations in promoting a stable global order.
  • Publication
    Positive Organizational Dynamics: A Reflective Journey Through Organizational Design, Culture and The Individual Experience
    (2022) Caroline M. Flood
    This capstone is a portfolio review of the author’s study of organizational dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania. It is a practical guide for business professionals to reflect on how to achieve positive organizational dynamics, as well as a conversational journey examining the relationship between dynamics and organizational design, culture, and the individual experience. The work provides insight into leading theories, models, and research on organizational dynamics, which are brought to life through the author’s personal application and reflection. The capstone articulates the complexity involved in defining organizational dynamics and reinforces the importance of examining dynamics at the individual level. The author concludes that achieving positive organizational dynamics is possible through a continuous personal reflective process.
  • Publication
    Collective Efficacy in Action: Community Growing Community at Generation Pledge
    (2024-06-01) Godley, Jason; Looney, Sonya; Miller, Jeff; Zaidi, Solat
    The Collective Efficacy in Action: Community Growing Community (CG) at Generation Pledge (GP) program is a 12-month plan designed to support cohort members of the CGC to advance the mission of GP. GP is a not-for-profit services organization with a unique mission: to act as a trusted advisor to inheritors of material wealth who are inspired to make considerable donations of their resources toward creating a better world – in other words, GP helps inheritors navigate the complexities of making an impact. The CGC comprises a subset of GP members who are interested in further advancing the vision and mission of GP through the CGC. The 12-month program utilizes the positive psychology construct of collective efficacy as its theory of change model and the program comprises two sections that build upon each other: i) the activation planning phase and ii) the activation phase. The activation planning phase guides members through a process to prepare an individualized, written activation plan that members can leverage and execute against during the activation phase. The program comprises 12 monthly meetings, each with a specific agenda including positive interventions tailored for improving collective efficacy, a workbook to guide members in documenting the activation plan, along with related support materials to guide GP in its curation of the meetings.
  • Publication
    Strengths Based Leading: Leveraging Character Strengths to Improve Staff Well-Being
    (2024-05) Bolaji, Jacquesline; Hover, Harry; Rice, Leneice; Wong, Anna
    Strengths-Based Leading is a well-being initiative designed to enhance the well-being and engagement of staff at the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), part of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitation Services (DARS). This intervention addresses professional challenges such as burnout and compassion fatigue by fostering work engagement through the implementation of VIA character strengths. Our approach includes administering the VIA Survey, conducting character strengths workshops, and encouraging strengths-spotting. We also outline strategies for sustaining this initiative long-term. By leveraging character strengths, we aim to improve job satisfaction, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and enhance both client interactions and organizational effectiveness, as measured by the Gallup Q12 Survey.
  • Publication
    Using Prediction Markets to Assert the Danger of AI
    (2024-05-15) Conor Emery
    This work explains the existing arguments surrounding whether AI poses an existential threat to humanity. It goes on to support the notion that AI does pose an equal threat as threats like climate change and nuclear catastrophe by using online prediction markets.