MIT Department of Anthropology

Podcast: SHASS’s Special Sauce

MIT Anthropology

Podcast: SHASS’s special sauce

Established after World War II, the School of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is an integral part of the MIT experience. Three faculty reflect on the school’s ongoing impact.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News

Photo Credit: Gruber by M. Scott Brauer, Kaiser by Donna Coveney, Paxson courtesy of MIT Anthropology.

September 24, 2026

From left to right: Jonathan Gruber, David Kaiser, and Heather Paxson. MIT News convened a discussion with three SHASS faculty about what makes the school special and why it’s a core part of the MIT experience.

Following World War II, the MIT faculty convened a committee to assess the Institute’s principles of education and their relevance “in a new era emerging from social upheaval and the disasters of war.” One of the outcomes of this pivotal report was the establishment of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). MIT News convened a discussion with three SHASS faculty — David Kaiser, Heather Paxson, and Jonathan Gruber — about what makes the school special and why it’s a core part of the MIT experience. Listen to the conversation or read the transcript below.

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