Academics

New Humanities Initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration

A gothic stone building with barren trees in front.

New Humanities Initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration

Devon Rudolph

The University announced a new Humanities Initiative, which plans for a more robust system of collaboration both within the humanities departments and through other disciplines on campus. A faculty steering group will meet for the first time on Dec. 20.

NEWS | 2 days ago

Upperclassman course selection concludes with key classes filled, students express frustration

A large fountain and a white building with columns, with pink flowers in the foreground

Upperclassman course selection concludes with key classes filled, students express frustration

Hayk Yengibaryan and Charlie Roth

On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Princeton upperclassman swiftly selected their courses. With underclassman course enrollment looming, several classes have already filled up.

NEWS | December 5

First Professor of Indigenous Studies steps into role, charts new initiatives

A woman with short gray hair smiles at the camera. Stone arches stand behind her.

First Professor of Indigenous Studies steps into role, charts new initiatives

Luke Grippo

J. Kēhaulani Kauanui assumed her role as the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Professor of Indigenous Studies in Anthropology this past July. She spoke to the ‘Prince’ about her goals, which include improving the Native experience on campus and creating a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies.

NEWS | December 3

Haitian Creole language courses coming to Princeton’s French and Italian department in the next year

A set of brown double doors with paintings on either side

Haitian Creole language courses coming to Princeton’s French and Italian department in the next year

Isaac Bernstein

Princeton’s French and Italian Department is adding a Haitian Creole course in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 taught by Lecturer Johnny Laforêt. Offerings may eventually expand to additional 200-level electives as well.

NEWS | November 22

New courses being offered in Spring 2025

A stone building with an elevated patio on a blue-skied day.

New courses being offered in Spring 2025

Chima Oparaji

New courses for the Spring 2025 semester were released on Thursday. We broke down the new offerings.

DATA | November 15

Princeton eliminates $45 fee for dropping courses after add/drop period

A black Adirondack chair sits under a tree with yellow leaves.

Princeton eliminates $45 fee for dropping courses after add/drop period

Doris Lee

Undergraduate students no longer have to pay the $45 fee to drop a course after the add/drop period ends. The add/drop period allows students to adjust their course schedules until mid-September. After that, they can still drop a course until the ninth week of the term, previously with a $45 fee. The final date to drop classes this semester is Friday, Nov. 8.

NEWS | November 6

Princeton’s Making an Exoneree course frees second person in two years

Five people with their arms around each other smile at the camera.

Princeton’s Making an Exoneree course frees second person in two years

Annie Rupertus

This Friday, Anthony “Tony” Mills became the second person to be released from prison after participating in Princeton’s Making an Exoneree program. The course tasks undergraduates with reinvestigating cases of people who have been wrongfully incarcerated and fighting for their release.

NEWS | October 29

‘Do you really want to live forever?’ Sci-fi author Ted Chiang talks immortality

A person with glasses and a ponytail stands at a wooden podium on a stage, in front of a projection reading, "Ted Chiang, science fiction writer, Do you really want to live forever?

‘Do you really want to live forever?’ Sci-fi author Ted Chiang talks immortality

Sena Chang and Christopher Bao

In a public lecture that drew over 200 attendees, science fiction author Ted Chiang explored philosophical and ethical arguments for and against pursuing immortality, discussed biological explanations for current human longevity, and addressed scientific concerns facing society. In an era when Princeton and many other institutions are grappling with the impacts of artificial intelligence, Chiang’s lecture spoke to the risks of scientific advancement.

NEWS | October 24

Palestinian Studies Colloquium event discusses consequences of one year of war in Gaza

Professors Nadia Abu El-Haj and Raz Segal sit at a desk in Robertson 016 during the the Palestinian Studies Colloquium event.

Palestinian Studies Colloquium event discusses consequences of one year of war in Gaza

Sena Chang

The Department of Near Eastern Studies hosted the third-ever event in the Palestinian Studies Colloquium on Tuesday, Oct. 8, hosting Professor Nadia Abu El-Haj from Barnard College and Columbia University and Professor Raz Segal, associate professor of Holocaust and Genocide studies at Stockton University.

NEWS | October 11

Dean’s Date, as you know it, is over

Students walk on campus with coats. Trees in the background barren.

Dean’s Date, as you know it, is over

Luke Grippo

Dean’s Date will no longer be the deadline for final papers, projects, and problem sets starting Spring 2025, with written assignments now being staggered across the final exam period. The decision comes as a response to student concerns regarding assignment pile-up and suitable travel arrangements around the holidays and breaks.

NEWS | October 9

University introduces five brand-new minors for 2024–25 academic year

A large, dark stone building looms in front of a gray sky.

University introduces five brand-new minors for 2024–25 academic year

Sena Chang and Emily Leon

The University has officially introduced five new minors for the 2024–25 academic year: bioengineering, European studies, history of art, mathematics, and religion. Sixteen existing certificate programs have also recently transitioned into minors.

NEWS | October 4

Gen. Mark Milley ’80 reflects on U.S. foreign policy challenges in Afghanistan and war in Gaza

Three people sit in black armchairs, facing an audience seated at wooden tables

Gen. Mark Milley ’80 reflects on U.S. foreign policy challenges in Afghanistan and war in Gaza

Sena Chang

Milley, currently serving as SPIA’s Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor, discussed the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and regional security in the Middle East more broadly at an event Wednesday. His talk was the fourth installment in the SPIA Dean’s Leadership Series.

NEWS | October 3

Departments still lack unified ChatGPT policy, continue adapting to generative AI

A computer screen opened to ChatGPT artificial intelligence program, with a white background behind the computer.

Departments still lack unified ChatGPT policy, continue adapting to generative AI

Olivia Sanchez and Achilleas Koukas

Over a year after the release of a University-wide memo recommending ChatGPT and generative AI guidelines, academic departments continue to lack unified policies regarding usage of these tools. The Daily Princetonian reached out to the head of every department that offers an undergraduate major, and only one has a department-specific policy: Economics.

NEWS | October 2

Effron Center reconsiders ‘Latino’ terminology amid conversations on gender, geography

A large, ivy-covered building looms in front of the camera. Benches and bike racks are outside.

Effron Center reconsiders ‘Latino’ terminology amid conversations on gender, geography

Sena Chang

The Program in Latino Studies (LAO) at the Effron Center for the Study of America has opened discussions about a possible name change, taking the current terminology's implications about gender and geography into account.

NEWS | September 30

SPIA hosts Paraguay President to discuss economic development in Latin America

A man in a blue suit sits mid-discussion.

SPIA hosts Paraguay President to discuss economic development in Latin America

Doug Schwartz and Elisabeth Stewart

As part of the Dean’s Leadership Series, His Excellency President Santiago Peña of Paraguay joined the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) on Friday, Sept. 27. Peña focused his address on his ascent to public office and his visions for economic development in Paraguay and the Latin American region, before taking questions from the audience.

NEWS | September 30

Climate change discussion with President of the Maldives turns to conflict in Israel

Two people sitting in the center of a room in discussion, with people in raised seats sitting around them.

Climate change discussion with President of the Maldives turns to conflict in Israel

Hannah Gabelnick and Devon Rudolph

On Sept. 26, the President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu spoke as part of SPIA’s Dean Leadership Series. The conversation, moderated by Professor Razia Iqbal, was intended to focus on the Maldives’s effort to combat climate change, but shifted focus to the country’s response to the war in Gaza.

NEWS | September 27

SPIA changes requirements for junior independent work following years of deliberation

An abstractly-shaped fountain in front of a white building with large columns.

SPIA changes requirements for junior independent work following years of deliberation

Sophie Brissett, Isabella Roberts, and Meghana Veldhuis

The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs has changed its requirements for independent junior work, reducing the number of required junior papers from two to one for SPIA majors in the Class of 2026 and beyond.

NEWS | September 26

First-year Writing Seminars undergo curriculum overhaul to improve student experience

Glass windows reflecting a gothic building and a grey, concrete wall with a black sign.

First-year Writing Seminars undergo curriculum overhaul to improve student experience

Cynthia Torres and Caitlyn Tablada

The First-year Writing Seminar Program, a core requirement for first-year students, has undergone changes to its curriculum for the 2024–25 school year. This new curriculum will feature two main essays as opposed to the standard three and two other assignments to make writing seminars more varied and manageable for first-year students.

NEWS | September 18

Finding an ‘academic home’: The push for Native American and Indigenous Studies at Princeton

On the left, brown woodgrain. On the right, a gray glassy surface with text overtop reading: "EFFRON CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF AMERICA"

Finding an ‘academic home’: The push for Native American and Indigenous Studies at Princeton

Mira Eashwaran and Raphaela Gold

Princeton University remains one of only three Ivy League schools without an official academic program in Native American and Indigenous Studies. After many years of advocacy, The Daily Princetonian spoke with professors and students on the path forward for Native American and Indigenous Studies at Princeton.

FEATURES | May 6

Eliza Griswold ’95 named director of Princeton’s Program in Journalism

A yellow house with black shuttered windows and white trim and columns framing a doorway

Eliza Griswold ’95 named director of Princeton’s Program in Journalism

Olivia Sanchez

Griswold, who graduated with a degree in English, is a contributing writer for The New Yorker. In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ she talked bridging ideological divides, election coverage, and enhancing the interdisciplinary nature of the program.

NEWS | April 8

Most Popular