Lauren Rubenstein

Many of us have experienced an intense emotional and physical sensation while listening to a particularly moving piece of music--often described as a thrill, chill or goosebumps. In a new article published in Frontiers in Psychology, Psyche Loui, assistant professor of psychology, assistant professor of neuroscience and behavior, and psychology major Luke Harrison '14 integrate the existing multidisciplinary literature to create a comprehensive, testable model of "transcendent psychophysiological moments in music." The paper came out of Harrison's final paper in Loui's course on Music Perception and Cognition. They begin by considering the different nomenclature used in popular and academic discourse for this…

Wesleyan's Economics Department hosted the 2014 Workshop in Macroeconomics Research in Liberal Arts Colleges on August 5-6. The conference brought together about 40 macroeconomists from liberal arts colleges around the country to present and discuss research, and exchange ideas about research and teaching. It aimed to increase productivity of macroeconomists at liberal arts colleges. It was organized by Wesleyan's Bill Craighead, assistant professor of economics; Pao-Lin Tien, assistant professor of economics; Masami Imai, professor of economics, professor of East Asian studies; and Richard Grossman, professor of economics. The Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life also provided support. Past years' conferences have been held…

In this issue of The Wesleyan Connection, we talk to Debbie Colucci, who came to Wesleyan in June 2014 as the new equity compliance director and deputy Title IX coordinator. Q: Welcome to Wesleyan, Debbie! Please briefly fill us in on your professional and personal background. What makes you uniquely qualified to take on this position? A: Personally, I have always been committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment that addresses the needs of a diverse population and provides a rewarding experience for all individuals. I have a master’s degree in college student personnel and higher education administration and, while my career in…

The Wesleyan Media Project, which for the past two federal election cycles has tracked and analyzed campaign television ad spending, is expanding into the realm of health policy analysis with a new study examining media coverage accompanying the Fall 2013 rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace. The question of inquiry: How did media coverage of the ACA (commonly called “Obamacare”) differ state to state—or even within states—and what impact might this have on new health insurance enrollments? Findings were published July 18 in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law from Duke University Press. (more…)

"You won't know where 'Lucky Us' is headed until, suddenly, it's there," promises the review

Rutland explores Russia's strategy in light of the recent escalation in violence

Government major Jacobs shows you don't have to be a techie to start a successful tech firm

Archaeology students are exploring the historic Beman Triangle this summer

A June 10 note to the President’s Office at Wesleyan grabbed attention—Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Education wanted help in quickly obtaining 125 copies of Michael Roth’s new book to distribute to Harvard faculty members. The email was indicative of the excitement that Roth’s latest book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (Yale University Press), has generated since it was published in May. The sixth book that Roth has authored, it has received substantial coverage in the national media and has helped put into historical context today’s debates over the value of a broad, liberal education. Roth reminds readers that accusations…

Leo Lensing, professor and chair of German Studies, professor of film studies, wrote the cover article in this week's issue of the Times Literary Supplement. The article, titled, "Pillar of Fire," is about a new biography of the Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann. The Times Literary Supplement describes the story as "How to assess the 'stations' of Ingeborg Bachmann's self-destructive life from childhood constant reader to modernist 'Fräuleinwonder'... Lensing counsels caution when dealing with Bachmann's own accounts of her experiences, including those of her childhood which 'ended when Hitler troops marched into her hometown' of Klagenfurt. Sometimes the 'primal scene' can 'look more like a scenario.'"…

Pitts-Taylor comments on a new reality show about plastic surgery gone bad

Review: Rose's "brilliant, counterintuitive voice" shines in this literary experiment

Research by Loui, Harrison ’14 on Musically-Induced ‘Thrills and Chills’ is Published

Wesleyan Hosts Macroeconomics Research Workshop

Debbie Colucci is Equity Compliance Director, Deputy Title IX Coordinator

Wesleyan Media Project Expands Into Health Policy Analysis

Bloom’s ‘Lucky Us’ is Reviewed

Rutland on Malaysian Airlines Crash in Ukraine

Jacobs ’98 Discusses His Popular Fitness App

Croucher’s Middletown Dig Featured in Courant

Beyond the University Makes a Splash

Lensing Writes Cover Story in Times Literary Supplement

Botched Plastic Surgery and Victim Blaming

Rose’s ‘The Shelf’ is Editor’s Choice