MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (@MIT_SHASS) header
MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (@MIT_SHASS) profile picture

MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

@MIT_SHASS

Our distinguished faculty do field-defining work and develop the values, vision, and ethical compass of tomorrow’s leaders.

 Cambridge, MA
shass.mit.edu
Joined August 2010
  • Tweets30.9K
  • Following3.2K
  • Followers16.8K
At the moment of independence, you have a state that is not meritocratic, and is highly captured by certain ethnic groups,” @MITPoliSci professor Noah Nathan says of new research into postcolonial Ghana. news.mit.edu/2026/postcoloni… @apsrjournal
In postcolonial Ghana, a fresh start but not a blank slate

In postcolonial Ghana, a fresh start but not a blank slate

A new study examines how Ghana’s civil service was developed during British colonial rule, and finds that patrimonialism and patronage were already rife during that time.

news.mit.edu
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“There was absolutely nothing untoward in how the results were reported on election night,” @MITPoliSci prof and @MITelectionlab director @cstewartiii told @Forbes. forbes.com/sites/alisondurke…
Trump Suggests He Won’t Accept Democrats’ Midterms Wins—Baselessly Questions ‘Honesty’ Of The...

Trump Suggests He Won’t Accept Democrats’ Midterms Wins—Baselessly Questions ‘Honesty’ Of The...

Trump questioned whether the election “was honest” after previously saying he’d accept the results.

forbes.com
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MIT students! Join us on Thursday, December 3 at 11:30am in Room 10-105 (Bush Room) for our annual Spring Ahead with SHASS event! Enjoy refreshments while learning more about HASS courses! See you there!
The image is a promotional flyer for an event titled "Spring Ahead with SHASS" hosted by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites attendees to enjoy refreshments and learn about Spring 2027 subjects within the HASS curriculum. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Bush Room (10-105). Contact information is provided as shass-ug@mit.edu. The design features colorful abstract shapes and the MIT logo.

ALT The image is a promotional flyer for an event titled "Spring Ahead with SHASS" hosted by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites attendees to enjoy refreshments and learn about Spring 2027 subjects within the HASS curriculum. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Bush Room (10-105). Contact information is provided as shass-ug@mit.edu. The design features colorful abstract shapes and the MIT logo.

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In this video, senior Cassidy Jennings reflects on her decision to pair her AI+Decision Making major with @MITphilosophy. “No technology exists in a vacuum,” she says. “There’s always societal impacts with every technology that’s built.” @MIT_SCC @MITEECS
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Hey MIT students! Do you have a favorite SHASS professor, lecturer, or teaching assistant? Nominate them for a Levitan Teaching Award! Submit your nomination before the 12/11 deadline! bit.ly/4btLxpt
This image is a promotional poster for the James A. and Ruth Levitan Award for Excellence in Teaching at MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites students to nominate SHASS professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants. The nomination deadline is December 11, and more information is available at shass.mit.edu/Levitan. The background features an architectural view with columns and a dome.

ALT This image is a promotional poster for the James A. and Ruth Levitan Award for Excellence in Teaching at MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites students to nominate SHASS professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants. The nomination deadline is December 11, and more information is available at shass.mit.edu/Levitan. The background features an architectural view with columns and a dome.

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MIT students! Join us on Thursday, December 3 at 11:30am in Room 10-105 (Bush Room) for our annual Spring Ahead with SHASS event! Enjoy refreshments while learning more about HASS courses! See you there!
The image is a promotional flyer for an event titled "Spring Ahead with SHASS" hosted by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites attendees to enjoy refreshments and learn about Spring 2027 subjects within the HASS curriculum. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Bush Room (10-105). Contact information is provided as shass-ug@mit.edu. The design features colorful abstract shapes and the MIT logo.

ALT The image is a promotional flyer for an event titled "Spring Ahead with SHASS" hosted by the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It invites attendees to enjoy refreshments and learn about Spring 2027 subjects within the HASS curriculum. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the Bush Room (10-105). Contact information is provided as shass-ug@mit.edu. The design features colorful abstract shapes and the MIT logo.

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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
Undark Magazine (@undarkmag) profile picture
Undark Magazine
@undarkmagNov 3
Prediction markets have become increasingly visible in political coverage, especially after the 2024 election. Their rise has fueled questions about whether they could eventually rival traditional polling. Experts caution that the two tools measure fundamentally different things. 🔗 Learn more: undark.org/2026/05/05/predic…
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
Undark Magazine (@undarkmag) profile picture
Undark Magazine
@undarkmagNov 3
Undark’s November 2026 issue is here! 🗞️ Our cover story looks at life after cancer treatment, where being cancer-free can still leave survivors managing long-term health effects and a medical system that does not always know what comes next. This month, Undark also explores how AI is changing migratory bird tracking, how virtual reality is entering difficult conversations in medicine, why engineers sometimes have to push things to the breaking point to keep people safe, and more. 🔎 See what’s inside the November issue: undark.org/
Image from Undark Magazine (@undarkmag)
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
Undark Magazine (@undarkmag) profile picture
Undark Magazine
@undarkmagNov 4
Science gets interesting when the answer refuses to settle down. Entanglements: The Undark Podcast follows the questions that remain open even after the research has piled up. Catch up on the latest conversations from Undark!  🔊 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and SoundCloud. 🔗: undark.org/podcast/
Image from Undark Magazine (@undarkmag)
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
J-PAL (@JPAL) profile picture
J-PAL
@JPALNov 4
In Mali, 70% of farmers had to travel outside their village to buy seed and fertilizer. Farmers want inputs and dealers want to sell, yet the market is missing. Researchers explain how one-day village input fairs, run by a social enterprise, could help: bit.ly/4yXZxlm
Image from J-PAL (@JPAL)
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
Undark Magazine (@undarkmag) profile picture
Undark Magazine
@undarkmagNov 5
The search for alien life can begin surprisingly close to home. Across Italy, scientists are studying some of Earth’s harshest environments to understand what life might look like on Mars or elsewhere in the universe. 🔗: undark.org/2026/09/25/italy-…
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
MIT Blueprint Labs (@BlueprintMIT) profile picture
MIT Blueprint Labs@BlueprintMITNov 5
Do you have a charter school research question but no partner site? The Charter School Research Collaborative has facilitated over 100 matches, and our next matchmaking session is on November 19. Spaces are limited: reserve yours today! #EconTwitter forms.gle/Qt36138GvbWpzKxF6
Image from MIT Blueprint Labs (@BlueprintMIT)
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"To build a better world in the age of AI, students need grounding in indispensable ideas," argues MIT Literature professor @SirJoshBennett in an essay for @TheAtlantic. theatlantic.com/books/2026/1…
The Time Is Right for a ‘Great Books’ Revival

The Time Is Right for a ‘Great Books’ Revival

To build a better world in the age of AI, students need grounding in indispensable ideas.

theatlantic.com
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“It’s very important to note that definitions in the history of science come at the end of the scientific process, not at the beginning,” @MITphilosophy prof Matthias Michel told @Nature. nature.com/articles/d41586-0… @mitbrainandcog
Why are we conscious? Nature investigates the theories

Why are we conscious? Nature investigates the theories

Nature - Scientists have yet to reveal how the human brain produces the subjective experience we perceive as consciousness, but research has pushed the field in exciting directions.

nature.com
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
MIT LIDS (@MITLIDS) profile picture
MIT LIDS@MITLIDSNov 4
Five LIDS PIs named 2026 #AI2050 Fellows! Congrats to Senior Fellow @m_sendhil and Early Career Fellows @alex_damian_, @baileyflan, @Micro_Yunha, and @manish_raghavan! The @schmidtsciences initiative supports research tackling #AI's toughest challenges. bit.ly/4Ai7gfj
Image from MIT LIDS (@MITLIDS)
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Senior Ana Scott is a pre-health student double majoring in @mitbcs and @MIT_MTA. In this video, the aspiring neurologist reflects on how her areas of study have intersected in unexpected ways.
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This week's newsletter recaps the #SHASS75 symposium, explores research into AI and voter behavior, shares information about primordial black holes, and more. mailchi.mp/mit/shass-weekly-… @MITPoliSci @mit_cmsw @MIT_Sciwrite @MITEcon
(Pictured from left) MIT professors Eric Klopfer, Norvin Richards, and Stephanie Seed, Senior Lecturer Sara Ellison, Institute Professor Suzanne Berger, Lecturer Takako Aikawa, and Professor Will Broadhead beneath a screen displaying an "MIT SHASS 75" banner with the SHASS logo.

ALT (Pictured from left) MIT professors Eric Klopfer, Norvin Richards, and Stephanie Seed, Senior Lecturer Sara Ellison, Institute Professor Suzanne Berger, Lecturer Takako Aikawa, and Professor Will Broadhead beneath a screen displaying an "MIT SHASS 75" banner with the SHASS logo.

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In this video, filmed during the #SHASS75 symposium's Teaching and Learning Innovations session, @mit_cmsw prof @eklopfer describes why we need to reconsider how we educate students in the age of AI.
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“More voters may simply be shifting away from voting on Election Day,” @MITelectionlab director @cstewartiii told @axios' rJosephine Walker. axios.com/local/twin-cities/… @MITPoliSci
Minnesota's early voting total shatters midterm records

Minnesota's early voting total shatters midterm records

The conventional wisdom is that it's good news Democrats, but the data suggests a more complicated picture.

axios.com
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MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences retweeted
MIT LIDS (@MITLIDS) profile picture
MIT LIDS@MITLIDSNov 2
Could #AI chatbots influence how Americans vote? @MITLIDS PI @charapod & @MITPoliSci's @AdamBerinsky spoke with @CNN about how popular AI chatbots answer questions about the midterms—and why the chatbot voters choose matters. cnn.com/2026/10/30/business/… @MIT_SCC @MITSloan @MIT_SHASS
What AI chatbots are saying about the midterms | CNN Business

What AI chatbots are saying about the midterms | CNN Business

AI chatbots could influence how Americans vote—and the chatbot they choose matters. CNN’s Hadas Gold met with a team of professors at MIT to understand how the most popular AI chatbots respond to...

cnn.com
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