Said and Done
JANUARY 2020
MIT SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
QUOTABLE
"Many technological innovations have resulted from the influence of literature, one of the most notable being the World Wide Web. What could a vast database of speculative fiction’s imaginary inventions teach us about what kinds of ideas we should—and shouldn’t—attempt to make into a reality?"
— Project led by Sandy Alexandre, Associate Professor of Literature, with support from the Bose Research Grant Program
RESEARCH NEWS
LITERATURE + TECHNOLOGY
Sandy Alexandre receives Bose Research Grant
Many tech inventions have been inspired by imaginative literature. Alexandre, an Associate Professor of Literature, will collaborate with MIT students to create a database of such literary sources, assess the imagined innovations for five criteria (feasible, ethical, worthwhile, useful, and necessary), then build a prototype of one of the imaginary inventions.
Bose Fellows
ECONOMICS | SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE
New MIT fellowship program aims to improve student access to quality schools
Program to provide leaders of America’s largest school districts, state agencies, and education nonprofits with tools to improve school performance and enrollment.
Story
MIT'S HUMANISTIC FACULTY | MEET KENDA MUTONGI, HISTORIAN
Kenda Mutongi, MIT Professor of History; Photo by Jon Sachs
HISTORY + WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES
3Q: Historian Kenda Mutongi on Africa, women, power—and human decency
"Lately I have been trying to think of African history from the perspective of goodness and basic human decency. Of course, conflicts exist, and do a great deal of damage in our lives, and we must confront them — but we must also allow ourselves to appreciate basic goodness and kindness when we see it. We [also] need to start taking all forms of African knowledge seriously, because until we do, we will continue to lose out on the contributions of a large swath of humanity."
Interview by SHASS Communications
NEW BOOKS AND WORKS
L to R: Maya Beiser, cellist, and Evan Ziporyn, MIT composer/musician/conductor
MUSIC
Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar | Maia Beiser and Evan Ziporyn
"In the new album 'Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar,' visionary composer/conductor Evan Ziporyn and cello virtuoso Maya Beiser honor Bowie and his influence. Ziporyn's stunning arrangements re-create the entire album as a cello concerto, with Beiser as soloist."
Review | About | Evan Ziporyn | Maya Beiser | Download
ANTHROPOLOGY
A closer look at the diabetes disaster | Amy Moran-Thomas
In her new book, Moran-Thomas examines how diabetes has reached epidemic levels across the world.
Story by Peter Dizikes, MIT News | Amy Moran-Thomas | Traveling with Sugar
INSIDE THE CLASSROOM
INTERDISCIPLINARY
School launches a new Concentration in Computing and Society
In MIT's new Computing and Society Concentration—drawn from nine humanistic disciplines—students can: gain insight into computation as both a sociocultural and a technical practice; develop skills for career success; and learn to identify technology in the public interest.
About
THEATER ARTS
Setting the Scene
In MIT's Theatre Arts program, students discover a maker space for design, a language of ideas and expression—and more about themselves.
Story in MIT Spectrum
HISTORY
Class Profile: 21H.001 How to Stage a Revolution
In this MIT history class, students explore the roots and complexities of revolutions across the globe. From early printing presses to changing fuel sources to the reach of global social media, the technological contexts of revolutions are intrinsic to understanding them.
Story by SHASS Communications
Work-in-progress on the MIT Beaver Press; Photo by Alison Lanier
EXPLORE
Follow us
Subscribe to Said and Done
9 issues a year
Media + Awards Digest
Recent coverage
Research Impact
Impact
Ethics, Computing, and AI: Perspectives from MIT
Browse the Series
Computing and AI: Humanistic Perspectives from MIT
Browse the Series
MIT Climate website | Humanistic research
A major source of research, innovation, and discussion
Join us!
SHASS on MIT News
Research and Features
MIT Campaign for a Better World
Story | Join Us
Published by SHASS Communications
Office of the Dean, MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Editor and Designer: Emily Hiestand
Publication Associate: Alison Lanier
Published 21 January 2020