Studying AI and economics at MIT
In the classroom: Lighting the stage
World-class
research
Without human understanding, there is no understanding. We are home to scholars and artists doing transformative work in fields vital to addressing the world’s most important challenges. Our faculty develop the values, vision, and ethical compass of tomorrow’s leaders.
Our faculty are among the world’s leading experts in their fields. Here you’ll find a selection of recent publications from SHASS scholars.
Tiny organisms, huge implications for people
Comparative Media Studies/Writing Professor Thomas Levenson’s new book, “So Very Small: How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs — and May Still Lose the War against Infectious Disease,” explores germ theory development and humanity’s ability to thoroughly combat germs. “I’m aiming to better illuminate the single most life-saving tool human ingenuity has ever come up with,” he says.
Decoding a medieval mystery manuscript
“My argument is that this physical object adds up to more than the sum of its parts, through its creative interplay of text, image, and materials,” MIT Literature professor Arthur Bahr says. His book, “Chasing the Pearl-Manuscript: Speculation, Shapes, Delight,” explores the Pearl-Manuscript, a singular bound volume from the 1300s containing the earliest versions of the masterly medieval poem “Pearl,” the famous tale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and two other poems.
Many MIT undergraduates major or minor in a SHASS discipline, often paired with studies in STEM. Class of 2025 graduates share how a multidisciplinary education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
Rhea Bhattacharjee
Computer Science and Engineering major
French language minor
History minor
“Studying French and history has definitely made me think more critically about what I am doing in my technical studies and made me more aware of the impacts of my actions.”
Lia Bu
Chemical Engineering major
Political Science minor
“In an increasingly complicated world, bridging the understanding gap between scientists and policy makers is crucial to ensure that effective changes can be implemented well.”
Music & Theater Arts gives students the opportunity to explore these disciplines as artistic practices and as cultural, intellectual, and personal avenues of inquiry and discovery.
Music and technology intertwined
Graduate program in music technology and computation brings new dimension to interdisciplinary offerings.
Digital instruments for musical togetherness
Engineering graduate student Joseph Ntaimo ’23 took music classes, played in the MIT Symphony Orchestra, and became a respected DJ on campus, routinely mixing pop songs with lesser-known international genres.
SHASS community spotlight
The SHASS community is made of inspiring students, staff, and faculty. Meet these individuals who have big impacts in the corridors of MIT and beyond.
Latest news from SHASS
Our work has broad impact at MIT and across the globe. Read the latest about new ideas coming out of SHASS.
Helping cities evolve
Economics graduate student Vincent Rollet studies how housing, regulation, and politics interact to shape the future of cities.
What do we owe each other?
A new class teaches MIT students how to navigate a fast-changing world with a moral compass.
Five MIT faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences for 2025
Rodney Brooks, Parag Pathak, Scott Sheffield, Benjamin Weiss, Yukiko Yamashita, and 13 MIT alumni are recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to research.
