USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is the heart of the University of Southern California. The largest, oldest and most diverse of USC’s 19 schools, USC Dornsife is composed of more than 30 departments and dozens of research centers and institutes. USC Dornsife is home to approximately 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 750 faculty members with expertise across a spectrum of academic fields.
Our frontline scholars are working to find solutions to society’s toughest challenges by advancing human health, preserving and improving our environment, and strengthening our communities. Together, we are defining scholarship of consequence for the 21st century.
Estudios psicológicos demuestran que el hecho de ayudar a otros nos hace sentir mejor. El hallazgo puede tener una importancia especial para los adolescentes deprimidos.
US law says the president can’t be indicted, an echo of ancient Roman law. The efforts Roman leader Julius Caesar made to maintain his immunity is a cautionary tale for America’s political system.
Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
El viaje de Colón en 1492 fue realmente un viaje hacia lo desconocido. Siglos de historias legendarias le habían hecho creer que en las Indias le esperaban bestias extrañas y hombres monstruosos.
Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage was really a journey into the unknown. Centuries of conventional wisdom had conditioned him to believe that bizarre beasts and ‘monstrous men’ would be awaiting him.
Images of famine or poverty are often used by human rights groups to galvanize support. And they often do. The ethics of these images is a more complex story.
Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
As the US talks up denuclearizing North Korea, a former defense department official takes a look at the status of America’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Experiencing and witnessing violence in their communities can lead to emotional, social and cognitive problems for kids. A new study shows it affects how their developing brains grow, as well.
Artūrs Logins, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
If you’re committed to a belief, it’s hard to let go. Psychology and philosophy provide different ways to think about how skeptics respond to counterevidence.
Amber Miller, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Today many Americans see universities negatively. But, as the dean of USC Dornsife argues, academia has a unique capacity to solve society’s problems. Yes, astrophysicists can help law enforcement.
Meredith Shaw, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The reclusive country’s media is tightly controlled and choreographed. But a close look at the tone and focus of the coverage can shed light on the regime’s priorities and resolve.
Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
A former US Department of Defense and State Department official explains why a hard-line approach on North Korea will likely fail, as it did with Iran.
Lisa Bitel, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
There are many myths associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. But Patrick’s own writings and early biographies reveal the person behind the legend.
Pamela K. Starr, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The admired US ambassador to Mexico is resigning, even as the two countries spat over trade, immigration and Trump’s tweets. Can this critical diplomatic relationship survive yet another problem?
Manuel Pastor, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
In the 1990s, older Californians struggled to make way for a younger, more diverse generation. Here’s how that ‘racial generation gap’ transformed the state – and what it means for the rest of the US.
Lisa Bitel, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Valentine’s Day originated as a feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. It took a gruesome path to becoming a romantic holiday.
Khatera Sahibzada, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The ancient Chinese teacher called reflection the best way to become wise, yet we rarely consider it a core trait of a great leader. It’s time for that to change.
Dana and David Dornsife Professor of Psychology and Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences