SHASS 75th Anniversary Symposium
MIT SHASS: Advancing Human Understanding
Meet the Professor: Jacob Moscona
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.
AI is transforming society in profound ways. We’re at the forefront of exploring the economic, political, and ethical implications of this technology.
Following the questions where they lead
Assistant Professor Bailey Flanigan has arrived at complex computational methods for helping democracy thrive. ““My trajectory across disciplines was just a result of me chasing down the problems I felt were most pressing or inspiring at the time,” she says.
Helping K-12 schools navigate the complex world of AI
MIT’s Teaching Systems Lab, led by Associate Professor Justin Reich, is working to help K-12 educators, students, policymakers, and others by listening to and sharing their stories. “We’re trying to advocate for an ethos of humility as we examine AI in schools,” he says.
Our faculty are among the world’s leading experts in their fields. Here you’ll find a selection of recent publications from SHASS scholars.
Uptake of COVID‐19 Vaccines and Intention to Vaccinate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Cross‐Sectional Survey
New research co-authored by political scientist and MIT GOV/LAB director Lily Tsai and Research Director Nuole Chen assessed uptake of COVID‐19 vaccines and intention to vaccinate and associated factors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
How architecture influences political activity
New research from MIT political scientist Noah Nathan describes the impact of semi-communal “compound houses” In Ghana, which can affect how much people vote and participate in political activity. “The overarching pattern we find is that if you compare people who live in compound houses to residents of other housing types, like single-family homes or self-contained apartments, there is a pretty big difference in political actions,” Nathan says.
MIT graduates share how their SHASS education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
Meicen Sun PhD ’22
Political Science
“SHASS provided the crucial resources and flexibility needed to investigate how we can approach the social sciences from the perspective of information science.”
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).”
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 named the nation’s top university by U.S. News for 2026-27
The Institute’s undergraduate engineering, computer science, and economics programs are No. 1; its business program is No. 2.
Podcast: SHASS’s special sauce
Established after World War II, the School of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is an integral part of the MIT experience. Three faculty reflect on the school’s ongoing impact.
A new chapter for MIT Reads
A new focus on fiction and memoir aims to help the MIT community celebrate the power of storytelling and strengthen social connection.