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The Conversation

National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

  • Written by Seth T. Kannarr, PhD Student in Geography, University of Tennessee
imageTKJohn Hudson Photography via Getty Imagesimage

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

Title of course:

Environmental Issues in National Parks

What prompted the idea for the course?

The University of Tennessee is a natural fit for this course, with the Great Smoky Mountains...

Read more: National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

  • Written by Dana El Kurd, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
imageU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet on Nov. 30, 2023.Saul Loeb/Pool via AP

Gaza is still very much in the midst of war, yet discussion is turning to “the day after” the conflict – and who will govern the war-ravaged territory.

The Biden administration has said that a full...

Read more: US attempt to ‘revitalize’ Palestinian Authority risks making the PA less legitimate, more unpopular

In Kyrgyzstan, creeping authoritarianism rubs up against proud tradition of people power

  • Written by Keith Brown, Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
imagePresidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan loom over the people of Bishkek.Contributor/Getty Images

The people of Kyrgyzstan have a well-earned reputation for “street democracy.”

Since emerging from the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, citizens in the Central Asian republic have taken it upon...

Read more: In Kyrgyzstan, creeping authoritarianism rubs up against proud tradition of people power

Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

  • Written by Meredith Oyen, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
imageChinese migrants wait for a boat after having walked across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama.AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

The brief closure of the Darien Gap – a perilous 66-mile jungle journey linking South American and Central America – in February 2024 temporarily halted one of the Western Hemisphere’s busiest migration...

Read more: Chinese migration to US is nothing new – but the reasons for recent surge at Southern border are

Vaccine-skeptical mothers say bad health care experiences made them distrust the medical system

  • Written by Johanna Richlin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Maine
imageWomen's own negative medical experiences influence their vaccine decisions for their kids.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Why would a mother reject safe, potentially lifesaving vaccines for her child?

Popular writing on vaccine skepticism often denigrates white and middle-class mothers who reject some or all recommended vaccines as hysterical, misinformed,...

Read more: Vaccine-skeptical mothers say bad health care experiences made them distrust the medical system

Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption protects you

  • Written by Robin Chataut, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Computer Science, Quinnipiac University
imageSeveral popular messaging apps, including Messenger, Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp, use end-to-end encryption. Open Rights Group/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Imagine opening your front door wide and inviting the world to listen in on your most private conversations. Unthinkable, right? Yet, in the digital realm, people inadvertently leave doors ajar,...

Read more: Are private conversations truly private? A cybersecurity expert explains how end-to-end encryption...

Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans to legalize that in 2027 – a philosopher explains the core questions

  • Written by Maria Kulp, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Gonzaga University
imageIn advocates' eyes, expanding access to a medically assisted death helps people protect their autonomy at a crucial time.Eva HM/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Imagine that you have lived with an illness for years. The suffering this illness has caused is devastating – so much that you wish to die. You no longer feel like the person you were...

Read more: Should people suffering from mental illness be eligible for medically assisted death? Canada plans...

Why do trees need sunlight? An environmental scientist explains photosynthesis

  • Written by Rebekah Stein, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Quinnipiac University
imageThe reason trees need sunlight is the same reason their leaves are green. Scottb211/Flickr, CC BYimage

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why do trees need sunlight? – Tillman, age 9, Asheville, North Carolina

Trees need...

Read more: Why do trees need sunlight? An environmental scientist explains photosynthesis

Ancient Rome successfully fought against voter intimidation − a political story told on a coin that resonates today

  • Written by David B. Hollander, Professor of History, Iowa State University
imageDemocracy was enshrined in Roman currency.American Numismatic Society

This silver denarius, minted over 2,000 years ago, is hardly the most attractive Roman coin. And yet, the coin is vital evidence for the early stages of a political struggle that culminated in Caesar’s assassination and the fall of the Roman Republic.

I first encountered...

Read more: Ancient Rome successfully fought against voter intimidation − a political story told on a coin...

Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those who might be already starving?

  • Written by Mahan Mirza, Executive Director, Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, and Teaching Professor of Teaching Professor of Islam and Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
imagePalestinians gather at the area where aid was distributed in Gaza City on Feb. 19, 2024.Karam Hassan/Anadolu via Getty Images

Ramadan in the Gaza Strip this year will be anything but “normal.”

Malnutrition and disease are claiming dozens of lives. The Gaza Health Ministry said on March 6, 2024, that at least 20 people had died of...

Read more: Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those...

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  15. Biden defends immigration policy during State of the Union, blaming Republicans in Congress for refusing to act
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  17. Femicide in Italy: A modern phenomenon deeply rooted in country’s cultural past
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  20. I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers
  21. Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits
  22. High-energy laser weapons: A defense expert explains how they work and what they are used for
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  28. Oppenheimer feared nuclear annihilation – and only a chance pause by a Soviet submariner kept it from happening in 1962
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