Society & Culture
What happens when democracy becomes irrational?
While in Rochester, Distinguished Visiting Humanist W. J. T. Mitchell will participate in lectures and discussions probing psychology, politics, and culture.
Learning the lessons of Red October
Ronald Grigor Suny, one of the preeminent historians of the Soviet Union, ethnic conflict, and nationalism, will speak as part of the Russian Studies program’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.
Going beyond medieval times to explore early worlds
The Early Worlds Initiative—an interdisciplinary research project at the University of Rochester—connects faculty researching social and cultural developments worldwide from medieval times to the early modern period.
Political scientists monitor threats to US democratic institutions
“One of the greatest threats to democracy is the idea that it is unassailable.” That’s the tagline of Bright Line Watch, which neatly sums up the group’s motivation. Made up of four political scientists including University of Rochester professor Gretchen Helmke, the non-partisan initiative has set out to monitor democratic institutions in the United States and potential threats to those practices.
Scholars call for more research into gun violence
More than a dozen researchers—from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and other major institutions around the country—presented at the two-day symposium, aimed at addressing dearth of research data on gun violence.
Can you erase fear from a scary memory?
The Humanities Center’s year-long look at memory and forgetting continues with a public lecture from neuroscientist Daniela Schiller, whose work on the malleability of memory has promise for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, addiction, and phobias.
Honoring Martin Luther King
On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the University will join others across the nation who will ring their bells in tribute.
The myth—and memorabilia—of Seward’s Folly
Several generations after the purchase of Alaska on March 30, 1867, the William Henry Seward Papers at the University of Rochester show the supposed folly to be a shrewd bargain.
Symposium on gun violence research attracts leading scholars
“The Social Life of Guns” symposium brings researchers from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and other universities and institutions to the University of Rochester for two days to spur more research on guns and gun violence.
Series looks at ‘integral’ role of migrants in America
The Humanities Center is hosting a series of events titled “Planting a Seed: Migrant Workers in the American Landscape,” examining the long, complex, and storied history of migration from the Mexican border to the United States.