The Conversation

Awkwardness can hit in any social situation – here are a philosopher’s 5 strategies to navigate it with grace

Written by Alexandra Plakias, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College

'I don't even know what to say to that.'Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images

The holidays offer many opportunities for awkward moments. Political discussions, of course, hold plenty of potential. But any time opinions differ, where estrangements have caused lingering rifts, or when behaviors veer toward the inappropriate, awkwardness...

AI harm is often behind the scenes and builds over time – a legal scholar explains how the law can adapt to respond

Written by Sylvia Lu, Faculty Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan

One AI harm is pervasive facial recognition, which erodes privacy.DSCimage/iStock via Getty Images

As you scroll through your social media feed or let your favorite music app curate the perfect playlist, it may feel like artificial intelligence is improving your life – learning your preferences and serving your needs. But lurking behind this...

Denmark’s uprooting of settled residents from ‘ghettos’ forms part of aggressive plan to assimilate nonwhite inhabitants

Written by Selma Hedlund, Postdoctoral Associate at Center of Forced Displacement, Boston University

History is full of examples of governments using forced segregation against ethnic minorities.

From settler colonialists coercing Indigenous peoples into reservations, Nazis forcing Jews into ghettos or the United States segregating Black Americans through redlining and zoning policies, displacement and housing have long been at the heart of...

Americans agree politics is broken − here are 5 ideas for fixing key problems

Written by Ismar Volić, Professor of Mathematics, Director of Institute for Mathematics and Democracy, Wellesley College

There are some ways to improve American democracy's responsiveness to the people.Sorapop/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Now that the elections are over, you might be left feeling exhausted, despondent and disillusioned – whether your preferred candidate won or not. You are not alone.

Survey after survey has found that Americans agree that the poli...

Vulnerability to financial scams in aging adults could be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows

Written by Laura Fenton, PhD student in Clinical Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A brain region called the entorhinal cortex may offer an important puzzle piece to understanding early Alzheimer's disease.Andrew Bret Wallis/The Image Bank via Getty Images

A brain region affected very early in Alzheimer’s disease may explain why some aging people are at greater risk of financial exploitation. That is the key finding of our...

No need to overload your cranberry sauce with sugar this holiday season − a food scientist explains how to cook with fewer added sweeteners

Written by Rosemary Trout, Associate Clinical Professor of Culinary Arts & Food Science, Drexel University

Fall means cranberry season − and sweet seasonal holiday dishes. AP Photo/Sergei Grits

The holidays are full of delicious and indulgent food and drinks. It’s hard to resist dreaming about cookies, specialty cakes, rich meats and super saucy side dishes.

Lots of the healthy raw ingredients used in holiday foods can end up overshadowed by...

Graduate students explore America’s polarized landscape via train in this course

Written by Sarah Federman, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution, University of San Diego

Students who are part of the Crossing the Divide course arrive in Washington, D.C., in May 2024. Tony Campos

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Crossing the Divide

What prompted the idea for the course?

I developed the idea for this course in 2016...

To some ancient Romans, gladiators were the embodiment of tyranny

Written by John M. Oksanish, Associate Professor of Classics, Wake Forest University

Paul Mescal as Lucius in 'Gladiator II.'Paramount

Neither “Gladiator” nor its cinematic sequel is particularly concerned with historical fact. For one thing, the emperor Marcus Aurelius had no intention of restoring the republic. Gladiatorial contests were abhorrent displays of cruelty, but they didn’t always end in death. And the...

Activism on foot: When Indigenous activists walk the land to honor their past and reshape their future

Written by Meaghan Weatherdon, Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego

Native Americans taking part in the Longest Walk, heading from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., march past the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., in 1978. AP Photo/Prouser

More than a decade ago, I spent a week working in Gatineau, a city on the southern edge of Québec, with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services. I was helping train...

New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll

Written by Anna Nisi, Postdoctoral Researcher in Biology, University of Washington

A blue whale swims close to a large vessel near the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Asha de Vos, CC BY-ND

Imagine you are a blue whale swimming up the California coast, as you do every spring. You are searching for krill in the Santa Barbara Channel, a zone that teems with fish, kelp forests, seagrass beds and other undersea life, but also vibrates...