USC Dornsife News

Mario Del Pero ’95 is co-founder of Mendocino Farms, a Los Angeles born-and-bred chain of gourmet sandwich and salad restaurants.

From occult engineers to desert visionaries, Los Angeles has a long and colorful history of alternative religions.

For Pinchas Gutter, visiting his homeland is a haunting reminder of the family he lost and the life he might have lived. He returns one last time to say goodbye and capture his personal saga in virtual reality for future generations.

From cockroaches to geckos, numbers to colors, superstitions vary dramatically from culture to culture. For this Friday the 13th, USC Dornsife faculty trace what we share and how we differ in what we believe brings us good luck — and bad. [7 min read]

Revel in literary discussions, readings and more at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 21 and 22 at USC. See the schedule of USC Dornsife faculty, students and alumni participating.

California megachurches played a significant role in how millions of people — Christian or not — understand Christianity. Richard Flory explains in "The Conversation."

How do natural disasters affect people's decisions to reside in a particular area? In "The Conversation," Matthew Kahn and his colleagues share findings from a database they created that shows how weather-related disasters affect U.S. migration patterns.

Provost Postdoctoral Scholar Stephanie Balkwill studies the ideal of female-to-male sex change within Buddhism, focusing on the women and religious texts of 5th-century China.

A book filled with hilarious and heartbreaking cartoons was Roz Chast’s way of processing what she learned about the end of life.