Thomas Jefferson College of Humanities and Sciences

Sad news today. Joan Specter was a strong advocate for Philadelphia and all Pennsylvanians.She was a valued right hand and advisor to the Senator.
She lived a rich and substantive life. She will be missed by her family and the community.

Joan L. Specter, former city councilmember and wife of the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, has died at 90 Mrs. Specter had a long career of her own as a cook, teacher, writer, radio host, and four-term member of City Council.

Meet Law and Society Student Savannah Brannan
⚖️ Why did you choose Jefferson?
The law and society program brought me here. I met Program Director Evan Laine at an open house, and he talked about the curriculum and the importance of learning the law and following current world issues.
🌎 What’s the best part of your studies?
Broadening my horizons about world issues and realizing that not one answer can satisfy everyone.
🎙️Tell us about a project you’re working on.
I’m the student coordinator for the Roxboro House Roundtables, a podcast created by the law and society program. I work closely with Professor Laine to plan, organize, edit and post our sessions. We talk about law, politics, art, history, science and more.
One of my favorite Roundtables was “Let’s Bloody Talk (Again),” hosted by Drs. Niny Rao and Hannah Schapiro. We discussed women’s menstrual cycles and how it’s become a taboo topic in our society. Another session that resonated with me was on the Electoral College, hosted by Professor Laine and Patrick Ryan, associate director of career services. This session brought greater awareness to this important topic.
🎨 What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you?
I love to draw and paint, including oil, acrylic and watercolor. Recently, I’ve been drawing more digitally on my iPad.

Professors Raju Parakkal and Evan Laine, of CHS, were recently honored by the University for their excellence in teaching. Professor Parakkal received the Lindback Award for Teaching Excellence (The Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching recognizes a faculty member who distinguishes themselves through innovation and sustained excellence in teaching. Awardees are faculty members who have brought creative means of teaching to the classroom and who have enhanced learning for Jefferson students). Prof. Laine received the Marion Roydhouse Award for Nexus Learning ( This award recognizes a full-time faculty who best embodies the Nexus Learning philosophy, active, collaborative, real-world learning infused with the liberal arts, in their teaching and/or in pedagogical research/scholarship/creative work)

CHS Event coming 4/4

Excellent article today in the East Falls Local Newspaper about the Roxboro Roundtables

Meet our CHS Student: Savannah Brannan
https://www.jefferson.edu/academics/colleges-schools-institutes/humanities-sciences/about-us/news/meet-student-savannah-brannan.html

10th Anniversary of the Single Bullet exhibition

Single Bullet: An Exhibition in Brief Featuring displays and designs prepared by Philadelphia University students and faculty for the exhibition “Single Bullet: Arlen Specter and the Warren Commi...

Arlen Specter Center gets a mention in this story

COMMENTARY: 60 years of conspiracy theories after the assassination of John F. Kennedy - KYW Newsradio Audio On-Demand On this day 60 years ago, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. All these years later the public doesn't know for sure if Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone shooter. One theory was championed by the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. It proposes that the same bullet that killed Kennedy....

New Book by CHS Professor Kathryn Gindlesbarger
Explores how university governance is restricted by ceremony and what it must do to survive
While many investigations of university governance examine representation, Opening Ceremony offers that, instead, stakeholders’ belief in institutional values can invite revision of stagnant governance practices. Kathryn J. Gindlesparger considers how to break the seal of ceremony to invite voices not traditionally heard in governance and, in doing so, protect the ideals of the institution and rebuild trust in higher education.

New Text Book, "The Contemporary Global Economy: A Multidisciplinary Approach", by CHS Professor Raju Parakkal. ..The Contemporary Global Economy is aimed at understanding and explaining the modern global economy through a detailed examination and analysis of current economic events and developments. The modern global economy, however, does not exist in a vacuum- intellectually, it has been shaped by theoretical perspectives and principles; temporally, it has been shaped by historical events and epochs; spatially, it has been impacted by political, social, and cultural factors and forces. The Contemporary Global Economy teaches the workings of the global economy through an application of these perspectives and principles in a multidisciplinary manner. In the process, this textbook helps students make sense of the contemporary global political economy by critically and carefully analyzing its policies and practices.