In the News
The Fraught Promise of Digital Remedies
Photo by Orbon AlljaAs the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust many of our activities into cyberspace, Fran Berman RI ’20 discusses the need for comprehensive privacy protections, better security standards, and a national discussion about when surveillance is acceptable.
America Failed to Prepare for Disaster Long before Trump Took Over
Tali Mendelberg. Photo by Tony RinaldoBracing for the worst saves lives and money, but voters are more likely to reward relief after the fact than they are careful planning.
New Members of the American Academy Arts & Sciences Announced
Photo by Kris Snibbe/Harvard file photoRadcliffe Institute Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin is among the new members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, who "are united by a place in history and by an opportunity to shape the future through the Academy’s work to advance the public good.”
A Fellowship Interrupted—but Still Vibrant
Radcliffe fellows Edo Berger, Daniel M. Callahan, Corey Rayburn Yung, Liette Gidlow, Margot E. Fassler, and Ayodele Casel. Courtesy of Daniel M. CallahanThe Institute’s 53 fellows vacated their offices in Byerly Hall in March, but their work continues in an unofficial capacity—via Zoom, like so many other activities during quarantine.
Bringing Additional Expertise to Class via Remote Instruction
Elena Glassman has converted her course, Design of Useful and Usable Interactive Systems (CS 179), into podcast form, where she interviews expert researchers on topics that would normally be discussed through lectures. This method allows students in different time zones to listen at their own pace and provide reflections. Photo courtesy of Eliza Grinnell/Harvard SEASRadcliffe Professor Elena Glassman has converted her course, Design of Useful and Usable Interactive Systems, into podcast form, where she interviews expert researchers on topics that would normally be discussed through lectures.
The “Messy Experiment”
Bunting Fellows in conversation, circa 1964-1972; Tillie Olsen, holding a cup, is at right. Photograph by Olive Pierce (circa 1964-1972). Copyright (C) the Pierce family. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard UniversityOn November 20, 1960, scientist Mary Ingraham Bunting unveiled her vision for the Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study. Newly appointed as Radcliffe’s president, she made her announcement just weeks after the country had elected John F. Kennedy its youngest president.
So What Have You Been Up To?
Image courtesy of Jessica BrilliHarvard faculty and staff talk about how they’re spending their time during social distancing when there’s nowhere to go and no one to see.
COVID-19 Targets Communities of Color
Photo credit Jonnica Hill/UnsplashCamara Jones RI '20 and other Harvard specialists say the pandemic exacerbates longstanding inequities in American society.
Reporting on the World between the Wars
Dorothy Thompson is one of four journalists written about in Nancy Cott's new book. Thompson is pictured circa 1940. The image is held by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College ParkHistorian Nancy F. Cott tells the story of the period through the lives of four American foreign correspondents.
The Pandemic Isn't Distributed Evenly
Illustration from Radio Open Source/Creative CommonsCOVID-19 has an acute sensitivity to social standing in America—to our race and class lines, our work habits and age brackets.