Justin McDaniel, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities, shares the experiences from two of his Penn courses in which students take on “monastic” challenges—like giving up cellphones and computers for a month, staying silent, or even reading books straight through from 5 p.m. to midnight. He dives into the surprising reactions and lessons learned, showing how unplugging from distractions and focusing on one thing at a time can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and moments of clarity.

Every 10 years in the United States, states draw new voting district boundaries in response to the latest U.S. census data. This process has long been fraught, with accusations of gerrymandering coming from whichever party is not in power, since voting districts can affect election outcomes.

Special Earth Day Edition of Knowledge by the Slice.