SHASS News

The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) was founded in 1950 in response to “a new era emerging from social upheaval and the disasters of war,” as outlined in the 1949 Lewis Committee Report.  The report’s findings emphasized MIT’s role and responsibility in the new nuclear age, which called for doubling down on […]

It is not hard to find glowing reviews of saxophonist Miguel Zenón, a creative jazz artist whose compositions incorporate musical elements from his native Puerto Rico. For instance, The Jazz Times called “Jibaro,” Zenón’s breakthrough 2005 album, “profound yet joyful.” The New York Times called the same music “strong and light,” adding that we have “rarely seen a […]

What makes work valuable? Michal Masny, the NC Ethics of Technology Postdoctoral Fellow in the MIT Department of Philosophy, investigates the role work plays in our lives and its impact on our well-being.  Masny sees numerous benefits to work, beyond a paycheck. It’s a space for people to develop excellence at something, make a social contribution, […]

The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences professors will help shape the next chapter of MITHIC, a presidential initiative launched in 2024.

The MIT James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work recently hosted a half-day symposium at the Institute on “Why Wealth Inequality Matters.” Three panel discussions convened experts from economics, philosophy, sociology, and political science to explore the origins, mechanisms, and political consequences of wealth inequality. Richard Locke, John C […]