USC Dornsife News

Ancient Greek philosophers despised the Sophists’ rhetoric because it searched for relative truth, not absolutes. But learning how to do that thoughtfully can help constructive debates.

As artificial intelligence seems to be veering close to self-awareness and we reclassify some animals as “sentient,” USC Dornsife scholars discuss what it means to be conscious.

James Van Cleve joins celebrated notables Shonda Rhimes, Michelle Yeoh, Zadie Smith, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Gustavo Dudamel in the academy’s class of 2023.

Students explore when humanity runs ideas and beliefs through the legal wringer, from Socrates to the Salem Witch trials, and how these spectacles have changed our culture.

Alyssa Young found support from USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative and the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund. She, in turn, helped others find their way.

Pamela Schaff directs USC’s Narrative Medicine master’s program, which helps health workers enhance healing by focusing on patients’ stories. [1¼ min read]

The School of Philosophy bests virtually every other philosophy department in the English-speaking world. [1¾ min read]

Professors bring expertise in diaspora literature, Buddhism, moral motivation and more. [3 min read]

Meet the incoming humanities professors joining USC Dornsife for the fall 2021 semester. [6 min read]