SHASS News

How architecture influences political activity
Could the precise architectural form of your residence influence how much you participate in politics? A new study by MIT scholars finds this to be exactly the case — at least in Accra, Ghana, where many people live in semi-communal structures known as “compound houses,” often sharing kitchens, bathrooms, and common living-room spaces, while having […]
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Exploring the societal impacts of AI
At the recent AI and Society Forum at MIT, experts from across the Institute discussed the potential benefits and dangers of technological innovation on labor, the nature of work, civil discourse, election administration, and other topics. The event featured individual research presentations and panel discussions, as well as a musical performance exploring the use of generative artificial […]
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“We can’t ship goods without functioning ports”
In the small coastal town of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, the port is the backbone of the community. Growing up there, with a father who works as a longshoreman, Chelsea Mitchell witnessed the port’s importance firsthand. From an early age, she understood that the port was essential to the transportation of goods in and out […]
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QS ranks MIT the world’s No. 1 university for 2026-27
MIT has again been named the world’s top university by the QS World University Rankings, which were announced today. This is the 15th year in a row MIT has received this distinction. The full 2027 edition of the rankings — published by Quacquarelli Symonds, an organization specializing in education and study abroad — can be […]
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MIT Open Learning reaches all the way to the South Pole
From the icy expanse of the South Pole, John Della Costa, a researcher on the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP) project, watches STS.042/8.225 (Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century), a free online class from MIT Open Learning’s OpenCourseWare, as part of a weekly “Fysics Fridays” series he started with his team. […]
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