The Conversation

Palestinian Christians and Muslims have lived together in the region for centuries − and several were killed recently while sheltering in the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius

Written by Christine Shepardson, Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, Department of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

Children at an Orthodox Christmas Mass at the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City on Jan. 7, 2023. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images

A bomb struck the complex of the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza on Oct. 19, 2023, killing more than a dozen of the hundreds of Christians and Muslims taking shelter inside and wounding others.

As a hist...

Day of the Dead is taking on Halloween traditions, but the sacred holiday is far more than a 'Mexican Halloween'

Written by Mathew Sandoval, Associate Teaching Professor in Culture & Performance, Arizona State University

Children trick or treat and wear Halloween costumes for a full week during Day of the Dead season in Mexico.FG Trade Latin/Collection E+ via Getty Images

Many Latinos regularly declare: “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween.” The declaration is increasingly repeated by non-Latinos too.

Drawing a clear line between the two...

In the Israel-Hamas war, children are the ultimate pawns – and ultimate victims

Written by Omer Bartov, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University

Both Palestinian children in Gaza, as shown on left, and Israeli children, as seen on the right, have been hurt, killed and kidnapped in the Israel-Hamas war.Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images/Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

In 1903, a local mob killed 49 Jews, including several children, and raped and wounded 600 others, in the city of Kishinev, then part...

This course uses big data to examine how American newspapers covered lynchings

Written by Rob Wells, Associate Professor, University of Maryland

More than 5,000 Black people have been lynched in the US.Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Images

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

Title of course:

Lynching and the Press

What prompted the idea for the course?

One of my students was reviewing a spreadsheet that...

United Auto Workers union hails strike-ending deals with automakers that would raise top assembly-plant hourly pay to more than $40 as 'record contracts'

Written by Marick Masters, Professor of Business and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

About 46,000 autoworkers gradually went on strike starting in mid-September.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The United Auto Workers union agreed on a tentative new contract with General Motors on Oct. 30, 2023, days after landing similar deals with Ford Motor Co. on Oct. 25 and Stellantis, the global automaker that makes Chrysler, Dodge and Ram vehicles in...

Violent and disturbing war images from the Mideast can stir deep emotions − a PTSD expert explains how to protect yourself and your kids from overexposure

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

Images of devastation, like the one shown here following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip, can take a heavy mental toll. AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman

The past few years have been filled with a seemingly endless stream of painful stories and images coming from across the globe, including the loss of more than 3 million people to the COVID-...

Louisiana's 'In God We Trust' law tests limits of religion in public schools

Written by Frank S. Ravitch, Professor of Law & Walter H. Stowers Chair of Law and Religion, Michigan State University

When Louisiana passed a law in August 2023 requiring public schools to post “In God We Trust” in every classroom – from elementary school to college – the author of the bill claimed to be following a long-held tradition of displaying the national motto, most notably on U.S. currency.

But even under recent Supreme Court...

White patients are more likely than Black patients to be given opioid medication for pain in US emergency departments

Written by Trevor Thompson, Associate Professor of Clinical Research, University of Greenwich

Doctors have struggled to find the balance between effective pain management and the very real addiction risks that come with prescription pain medication.BackyardProduction/iStock via Getty Images Plus

White people who visit hospital emergency departments with pain are 26% more likely than Black people to be given opioid pain medications such as...

How to deal with visual misinformation circulating in the Israel-Hamas war and other conflicts

Written by Paul Morrow, Human Rights Fellow, University of Dayton

Social media is often used during times of conflict to spread fake news.Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In the three weeks since war began between Israel and Hamas, social media has been taken over with images and stories of attacks, many of which proved false.

For example, within hours of Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, screen...

Asteroids in the solar system could contain undiscovered, superheavy elements

Written by Johann Rafelski, Professor of Physics, University of Arizona

An illustration of an asteroid orbiting through space. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

For centuries, the quest for new elements was a driving force in many scientific disciplines. Understanding an atom’s structure and the development of nuclear science allowed scientists to accomplish the old goal of alchemists – tur...