Society And Culture

A possible Pre-Hispanic solar calender was documented last week by Vanderbilt archaeology graduate student Kasia Szremski near the small town of Casa Vieja in the Andean foothills of Peru. Read More

Each time Gitmo’s relevance was called into question—by Cuban opponents, and by Americans worried about the base’s diminishing returns, the trouble of running it and the toll it took on global goodwill—new purposes had been found with unfailing ingenuity, writes Paul Kramer, associate professor of history. Read More

William Franke, professor of comparative literature, Italian and religious studies, discusses the research behind his forthcoming book, "A Philosophy of the Unsayable." Read More

A study by Vanderbilt University's Latin American Public Opinion Project shows that the use of social media for political purposes in the Americas can be an effective complement to conventional forms of political engagement. Read More

Scripture has played a pivotal role in shaping the United States’ justification for going to war from the nation's earliest beginnings, according to research from James P. Byrd, assistant professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Read More

A new book that explores the cultural manifestations of the relationship between dogs and Jews from ancient to contemporary times has been co-edited by Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, assistant professor of Jewish studies and law at Vanderbilt. Read More

In the bygone era brought to life in a Vanderbilt history professor's new book, spending years in prison was considered excessively cruel and unusual while breaking every bone in a criminal's body while keeping him alive was reasonable punishment. Read More

Economic prospects improved for small mountain farmers in Guatemala when consumers developed a taste for coffee brewed with beans grown at high altitude, according to a new study from the Vanderbilt Institute for Coffee Studies. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s expanded commitment to research and sustainable development in Guatemala is reflected in this spring’s opening of a Guatemala City field station that is home to 13 projects. Read More

Three Vanderbilt University professors are among 175 scholars, artists and scientists named the 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellows. Read More

Helena Simonett, associate director of the Center for Latin American Studies and adjunct assistant professor at the Blair School of Music, both at Vanderbilt University, believes that the saga of the “the little man’s piano” can tell us something aboutAmerica, especially in terms of class. Read More

Faculty in the Department of History have received a variety of prestigious research awards and fellowships in recent months. Read More

A 25-year plan for Nashville's future includes a report on inclusivity written by Vanderbilt sociologist Dan Cornfield. Read More

Barely 17 percent have Internet access at home, according to the latest figures of the Americas Barometer, a survey by Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project. Although the digital divide – the gap between those who can afford access and those who can’t – has narrowed in recent years, progress has been slow and Mexico still finds itself well below its peers. Read More

Rgw AmericasBarometer survey shows that Argentines may not trust Iran or a jointly established Truth Commission formed to discover the culprits behind a Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires 20 years ago. Read More

Pope Benedict XVI's unexpected resignation will raise his stature among Catholics, even among those who sharply disagree with his policies, according to Vanderbilt Divinity School's Bruce Morrill. Read More

Watch: Bruce Morrill discusses what issues the papal conclave will consider when choosing its next leader on Fox News. Read More

New research shows that every year spent in prison lowers overall life expectancy two years. Read More

Emilie M. Townes, a distinguished Yale University scholar and administrator whose areas of expertise include Christian ethics and womanist theology, has been named dean of Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Read More

Few musicians win their first orchestral audition, and the likelihood that the first audition is with the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic is very slim. That puts Jeremy Wilson, Blair School of Music's new associate professor of trombone, in a class all by himself. Read More