Society And Culture

A biography of singer-songwriter Sam Cooke will be the fourth book by Peter Guralnick to be declared “a classic in blues literature” by the Blues Hall of Fame. Read More

Some scholars still believe that romantic love was invented by European troubadours in the Middle Ages, and that people outside of the western tradition don’t really experience it. Ted Fischer, professor of anthropology, decided to test that theory. The verdict? Everybody loves. Read More

When an Aztec child was born, soothsayers would consult the birth almanacs contained in codices to determine the most auspicious date to initiate the child into the Aztec community. Read More

Vanderbilt researcher Jonathan Metzl has coined the term "structural competency" as a starting point for doctors to realize how medical problems are often downstream results of upstream societal decisions. Read More

The Mellon Partners for Humanities Education initiative will support specialized training for new Vanderbilt Ph.D.s in preparing students for teaching at liberal arts colleges and historically black colleges and universities, as well as provide education regarding public and digital humanities. Read More

Jack M. Sasson, the Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible, offers a new appreciation of the first 12 chapters of the book of Judges in a forthcoming book that is part of the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary Series. Read More

Bright-colored products and brands do more than just draw attention. They allow people to signal a personal identity that aligns them with elite athletes, explains Vanderbilt marketing professor Jennifer Escalas. Read More

Vanderbilt University Divinity School students will work with religious and community service organizations to develop resources on issues surrounding religious beliefs and sexual orientation, thanks to a new grant from the Arcus Foundation, with support from the Carpenter Foundation. Read More

High-quality preschool is an effective way to reduce social problems associated with poverty because it teaches children the psychological skills they need to succeed as adults, according to a Vanderbilt professor who studies the economics of human development. Read More

Paul C.H. Lim, a Vanderbilt University religious historian, has received the 2013 Roland H. Bainton Book Prize for Mystery Unveiled: The Crisis of the Trinity in Early Modern England. Read More

Vanderbilt historian Jane Landers appears in the first episode of a new PBS documentary series about the history of African Americans, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Read More

Analysts with Vanderbilt's LAPOP team say Chilean authorities might want to brace for more civil discord in that country. Read More

LaTonya Trotter is bringing her sociology training and health care experience together to study how nurse practitioners fit into today’s medical environment. Read More

Lorrie Moore, a distinguished American fiction writer who was a 2012 Chancellor’s Lecturer at Vanderbilt, has kept the corner of her eye on the university’s storied English department over the years. Read More

One of the first things Kevin Murphy did after accepting the offer to join Vanderbilt’s history of art department was explore Nashville’s historic neighborhoods. Read More

Carwil Bjork-James’ research pertains to South America, but on an August afternoon a week before the fall semester started, his thoughts were on Egypt, where the death toll was still rising after a violent crackdown on anti-government protestors in Cairo. Read More

Evelyn Patterson, assistant professor of sociology, is a recipient of a 2013-2014 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty. Read More

Mixed-income neighborhoods help improve the safety and wellbeing of low-income residents, but cannot relieve deeply entrenched poverty or provide upward mobility without additional social services and supports, say Peabody and University of Chicago researchers in a new report. Read More

In a letter to faculty, Carolyn Dever, dean of the College of Arts and Science, reflects on how research informs teaching, and vice-versa. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are finding that Jamaicans are feeling more confidence in their local police as they report decreasing incidences of bribe solicitation. Read More