Advancing Human Understanding
Ken Urban on teaching playwriting at MIT
Graduate student spotlight: Mariano Salcedo
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.
Study: Immigrants help address the US eldercare shortage
MIT economist and department head Jonathan Gruber co-authored a study suggesting that nurses in metro areas with more immigration spend more time with elderly patients. “One of the key groups taking care of our nation’s elders is immigrants,” Gruber says, “So I thought it would be fascinating to understand how much immigration actually matters for elder care.”
“We the People” depicts inventors, dreamers, and innovators in all 50 states
For the 250th anniversary of the US, Joshua Bennett’s epic poem celebrates unexpected lives forged across the nation. “There’s so much to be said for a country where you and I are possible, and the things we do are possible,” Bennett says.
MIT graduates share how their SHASS education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
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).”
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.”
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 on the brain
Graduate student Claire Southard ’25 explores new frontiers in music technology.
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.
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.
Study: Firms often use automation to control certain workers’ wages
MIT economists found US companies tend to target employees earning a “wage premium,” which increases inequality but not necessarily productivity.
MIT marks first Robert R. Taylor Day with Tuskegee University
A day of conversations and archival access at the MIT Museum reflects an ongoing exchange rooted in the work and ideas of the Institute’s first Black graduate.
The tech revolution that wasn’t
Associate Professor Dwai Banerjee’s new book examines the visionaries who wanted to turn India into a world power at making computers.
In the media
Trump and GOP test precedent with aggressive voter roll purges
Could urban gardening be Boston’s answer to rising food insecurity?
No more teachers: AI school pitched for Boston
Republican lawmakers increasingly concerned over Hegseth’s ideological military
SHASS videos
Learning about global music traditions and cultures
