Departments College of Social Sciences & Humanities

How is COVID-19 affecting people’s mental health?

There hasn’t been a noticeable improvement in mental health struggles since the pandemic started, according to a new survey of U.S. residents published by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers. Even as COVID-19 numbers decrease, sleepless nights, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts are on the rise.

by Peter Ramjug May 21, 2021

The Supreme Court will hear an abortion case. What comes next?

By agreeing to hear an abortion case out of Mississippi that the state’s lower courts ruled was plainly unconstitutional under the landmark Roe v. Wade, the justices indicated that the nation’s highest court may seek to change the abortion standard, say two legal scholars at Northeastern.

by Molly Callahan May 19, 2021

What do vaccine passports mean to you?

Vaccine passports—proof that the carrier is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus—have become a highly politicized topic, and some states are banning them, but a survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers finds that the passports are not as polarizing as one would imagine.

by Peter Ramjug May 17, 2021

Mothers are more reluctant to get their children vaccinated than fathers, U.S. survey shows

Nearly a third of mothers aged 18-35 say they are extremely unlikely to vaccinate their children from the coronavirus, according to a new survey of U.S. residents published by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers. Fathers of any age, however, were significantly more inclined to inoculate their kids.

by Peter Ramjug May 6, 2021

These students have inspiring stories to share at Commencement

Graduating students Nathan Hostert, Neha Jain, Gagan Dep Prabhu, and Muhammad Fitrah Pratama Teng will explore their Northeastern experiences while speaking at Commencement ceremonies this weekend at Fenway Park.

by Ian Thomsen May 5, 2021

The Class of 2021, having walked the walk, gears up for Commencement

Processional walks around the Boston campus began on Monday for graduating seniors. Some of the interactive experiences were designed to allow for moments to reminisce and take it all in one last time before Commencement ceremonies begin on the weekend.

by Peter Ramjug May 4, 2021

Jean Philippe, left, will get vaccinated when he returns home to New York, while Iris Cotrupi, center, and Zach Stanziano, right, have each received one of two doses. “Just go get it,” Stanziano urges others. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

‘Just go get it.’ Students who have received the COVID-19 vaccine encourage others to get their shots

Some Northeastern students have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, others are about to get fully inoculated. Now that everyone in the U.S. 16 years of age and older is eligible, students are encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and protect the pack.

by Peter Ramjug April 21, 2021

Philonise Floyd, Attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton courtroom celebrate Chauvin verdict.

Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict is a step toward justice and police reform–but it’s not the end of racism in the US

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck until he died, was found guilty of all three counts related to Floyd’s murder on Tuesday, in a case that “bucks up against 200 years of history in a way that is enormously refreshing but also deeply informative,” said Margaret Burnham, university distinguished professor of law at Northeastern.

by Molly Callahan April 20, 2021

A painted rock found as part of a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, in honor of the people killed during worship services. AP Photo by Gene J. Puskar

Surge of anti-Semitism reflects ingrained pattern, historian says

Ongoing anger and violence towards Jews can be traced back to the creation of Christianity, religious historian David Nirenberg said in a lecture that was part of Northeastern’s Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Week. The potential for future atrocities grows when society fails to connect present-day anti-Semitism to longstanding prejudices that have reoccurred throughout history, he said.

by Hillary Chabot April 8, 2021

Fabian Rodriguez cleans a table in an outdoor tented dining area of Tequila Museo Mayahuel restaurant, in Sacramento, Calif. on Nov. 19, 2020. AP Photo by Rich Pedroncelli

The recovery of the US economy after COVID-19 hinges on federal support

Increased federal stimulus, in the form of payroll protection program loans for small businesses, extended unemployment insurance benefits for the long-term unemployed, and childcare subsidies for working parents, will be essential to reviving economic growth in the next six months, says Alicia Modestino, an associate professor of public policy and urban affairs as well as economics at Northeastern.

by Khalida Sarwari December 18, 2020