Society & Culture
Show us your town, New York City
The 14,000 alumni who call New York City home know the teeming city is much more than a tourist attraction. We asked seven of them to show us their favorite off-the-beaten-path spots.
Committed to memory
How does memory shape our sense of who we are? Discover how Rochester scientists, doctors, musicians, historians, and philosophers are studying and working with memory.
Pitching politics
The story of baseball in the United States is intertwined with that of the presidency, says senior English lecturer Curt Smith. In his new book he traces the points of connection from the colonial era to the present.
Show us your town: Washington, D.C.
More than just the seat of government, the nation’s capital is a city rich in art and culture, foodie havens, and outdoor getaways. Just ask some of the 4,600 alumni who make it their home.
Was the University a player in the invention of baseball?
University archivist Melissa Meade looks into the earliest days of baseball at the University, which fielded its first team in 1858.
Drawing a ‘bright line’ on democracy
With colleagues at Yale and Dartmouth, Rochester professor Gretchen Helmke has launched Bright Line Watch, an initiative to survey opinions about democracy, both among the public and political scientists.
Calculating the cost of being black in America
In his new book, The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black in America, engineer and businessman Shawn Rochester ’97 uses the tools of personal finance management to calculate the costs of racial discrimination.
Frederick Douglass speech still resonates
“What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?” Hear notable passages of this iconic 1852 speech read by faculty, students, and staff in celebration of the University’s connection to Douglass and the city he called home.
Strong sibling bond protects against negative effects of fighting parents
In a 3-year study, Rochester psychologists found children with strong sibling relationships experience less distress in response to future fighting between parents.
Parsing the Pledge of Allegiance
In an excerpt from his new book, philosophy professor Randall Curren looks at the Pledge’s Rochester roots and traces its evolving use in public schools.