The Conversation

In the 'big tent' of free speech, can you be too open-minded?

Written by John Corvino, Dean of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University

In the 'big tent' philosophy of free speech, the more views, the better. But how does that hold up in practice?imageBROKER/Manuel Kamuf via Getty Images

People often extol the virtue of open-mindedness, but can there be too much of a good thing?

As a college dean, I regularly observe campus controversies about the Israel-Hamas war, race relations...

Iran terror blast highlights success – and growing risk – of ISIS-K regional strategy

Written by Amira Jadoon, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Clemson University

More than 100 peope were killed in the blast in Kerman, Iran, on Jan. 3, 2024.Mahdi/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the terror group Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, has sought to internationalize its operational and recruitment campaign. Utilizing a sweeping propaganda campaign...

7 strategies to help gifted autistic students succeed in college

Written by Joseph Madaus, Professor of Education, University of Connecticut

Only 39% of autistic students who start college finish.Hill Street Studios / Getty Images

About 1 out of every 100 students in American public schools has autism. A subset of these students also have academic gifts and talents in a broad range of areas, including math, science, technology, the humanities and the arts. These students are often...

To protect endangered sharks and rays, scientists are mapping these species' most important locations

Written by David Shiffman, Faculty Research Associate in Marine Biology, Arizona State University

A tiger shark swims among surgeonfish off Fuvahmulah Atoll, Maldives, in the Indian Ocean.imageBROKER/Norbert Probst via Getty Images

All of the saltwater bodies on Earth make up one big ocean. But within it, there is infinite variety – just ask any scuba diver. Some spots have more coral, more sea turtles, more fish, more life.

“I&rsquo...

Sellout! How political corruption shaped an American insult

Written by Ian Afflerbach, Associate Professor of American Literature, University of North Georgia

Alf Bruseth, 'Politician Coin Bank' (1938). Index of American Design

If you follow politics, sports, Hollywood or the arts, you’ve no doubt heard the insult “sellout” thrown around to describe someone perceived to have betrayed a core principle or shared value in their pursuit of personal gain.

The term has recently been hurled...

Otters, beavers and other semiaquatic mammals keep clean underwater, thanks to their flexible fur

Written by Andrew Dickerson, Assistant Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee

Otters and other semiaquatic mammals can keep clean even in dirty water. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Underwater surfaces can get grimy as they accumulate dirt, algae and bacteria, a process scientists call “fouling.” But furry mammals like beavers and otters that spend most of their lives wet manage to avoid getting their fur slimy....

Martin Luther King Jr.'s moral stance against the Vietnam War offers lessons on how to fight for peace in the Middle East

Written by Hajar Yazdiha, Assistant Professor of Sociology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., center, leads an anti-Vietnam War demonstration on March 16, 1967, in New York City. AFP via Getty Images

Since the onset of Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza and the West Bank after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, debates have arisen among historians and media pundits about Martin Luther King...

How we almost ended up with a bull's-eye bar code

Written by Jordan Frith, Pearce Professor of Professional Communication, Clemson University

Peering into the past.C.J. Burton/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Few objects in the world are more immediately recognizable than the bar code. After all, bar codes are all around us. They’re on the books we buy and the packages that land on our doorsteps. More than 6 billion bar codes are scanned every single day. They’ve become such an...

A Supreme Court ruling on fishing for herring could sharply curb federal regulatory power

Written by Robin Kundis Craig, Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law, University of Southern California

Two cases centered on Atlantic herring could have widespread impacts on federal regulation.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Fisheries regulation might seem to be unusual grounds for the U.S. Supreme Court to shift power away from federal agencies. But that is what the court seems poised to do in the combined cases of Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo and...

Republicans are pushing for drastic asylum changes – an immigration law scholar breaks down the proposal

Written by Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California

Migrants cross through a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Dec. 22, 2023, in Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif.Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

There is bipartisan agreement for the need for immigration reform and stark disagreement on what that reform should be.

A rise in illegal border crossings since 2020 has applied significant pressure for...