Improving the workplace of the future
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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.
How drones are altering contemporary warfare
A new book by scholar and military officer Erik Lin-Greenberg examines the evolving dynamics of military and state action centered around drones. “People thought if drones were used all over the place, this would lead to more escalation,” he says, “but in many cases where drones are being used, we don’t see that escalation.”
Q&A: How folk ballads explain the world
Ruth Perry, MIT’s Ann Fetter Friedlaender Professor of Humanities, Emerita, wrote a book profiling Scotswoman Anna Gordon, who preserved and transmitted precious popular ballads and national traditions. “It’s fascinating how the culture was transmitted, how intellectually rich that society was, how much there is to examine in Scottish culture and society of the 18th century,” Perry says.
MIT graduates share how their SHASS education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
Rujul Gandhi ’22
Linguistics and Philosophy (Course 24-2)
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Course 6)
“SHASS classes, such as in theater or political science, gave me a chance to learn about human connection at levels from individual to global. My current work on communication falls into this broad theme of how people connect to each other.”
Ankita Reddy ’19
Anthropology (Course 21A)
Biology (Course 7)
“My classes, discussions, and connections fostered through SHASS taught me the value of deep listening, priming me to ask difficult questions about technological solutions (and to have the courage to do so).”
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.
Students learn theater design through the power of play
MIT Theater faculty invite students to draw upon their personal experiences to create evocative set, sound, and lighting designs.
Travels with Rambax
MIT’s Senegalese drumming ensemble ventured to West Africa during IAP to practice the art of sabar.
Broadening student minds
If you want to make the world a better place, you need to understand how it works. SHASS plays an essential role at MIT, ensuring our students have a deep understanding of the human implications of the world’s biggest challenges.
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.
MIT in the media: 2025 in review
MIT community members made headlines with key research advances and their efforts to tackle pressing challenges.
MIT community in 2025: A year in review
Top stories highlighted the Institute’s leading positions in world and national rankings; new collaboratives tackling manufacturing, generative AI, and quantum; how one professor influenced hundreds of thousands of students around the world; and more.
MIT’s top research stories of 2025
Concrete batteries, AI-developed antibiotics, the ozone’s recovery, and a more natural bionic knee were some of the most popular topics on MIT News.
