Knapp Social Science Center

The Knapp Social Science Center was created in 2014 thanks to the generosity of one of Wellesley’s most illustrious alumnae, Betsy Wood Knapp ’64. It is located at Pendleton Hall East in the heart of Wellesley College’s Academic Quad. Drawing upon the foundation of a uniquely-designed building and the strength of the individual departments and programs within it, this programmatic center for the social sciences serves three main purposes.

The first is to support student and faculty research, promoting the exploration of issues such as health, the environment, poverty, and social justice from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The second is to provide a rich and engaging program of events, including lectures by invited speakers, colloquia on a variety of topics in the social sciences, panel discussions on important current issues in economics, politics, and the society as a whole, and community-building activities and informal gatherings.

The third purpose of the center is to support innovative approaches to teaching, including community engagement and experiential learning initiatives.