The Conversation

Niger has the world's highest birth rate – and that may be a recipe for unrest

Written by John F. May, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University

While fertility levels have declined rapidly in most parts of the world, many countries in the sub-Saharan African region of the Sahel have seen their reproductive rates go down very slowly, and only very slightly.

The average woman in Niger, for example, still has 7.2 children, according to the Population Reference Bureau 2018 World Population...

Nuns were secluded to avoid scandals in early Christian monastic communities

Written by Alison I. Beach, Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University

Margareta, head of the women's community at Lippoldsberg (in modern-day Germany) clasps hands with an Augustinian monk as he hands her a book.Lippoldsberg Evangeliary. Kassel, Landesbibliothek, MS theol. 2o 59, f. 73v.

Pope Francis recently stated that Catholic nuns in various parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, India and Latin America,...

Livestreamed massacre means it's time to shut down Facebook Live

Written by Jennifer Grygiel, Assistant Professor of Communications (Social Media) & Magazine, Syracuse University

Facebook Live can be fun – or really scary.I'm friday/Shutterstock.com

When word broke that the massacre in New Zealand was livestreamed on Facebook, I immediately thought of Robert Godwin Sr. In 2017, Godwin was murdered in Cleveland, Ohio, and initial reports indicated that the attacker streamed it on Facebook Live, at the time a relatively...

Why social movements like #MeToo seem to come out of nowhere

Written by Cass Sunstein, University Professor, Harvard University

Tarana Burke created #MeToo in 2006 but it didn't emerge as a mass social movement until 2017.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Many of history’s revolutions and social movements have emerged with little or no warning. Even those leading the charge are often taken aback, even stunned, when they succeed.

Alexis de Tocqueville reported that no one...

Your pet on pot, or even CBD: Not a good thing, a vet toxicologist explains

Written by John P. Buchweitz, Toxicology and Nutrition Section Chief, Michigan State University

Dogs don't need pot or CBD or other marijuana derivatives. Harshad Rathod/Shutterstock.com

My family and I were on vacation in Florida recently and took advantage of a free afternoon to do some gift shopping for local memorabilia – not your ordinary T-shirts and key chains. Our adventure took us to St. Armand’s Key, part of Sarasota,...

Teens have less face time with their friends – and are lonelier than ever

Written by Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

Teens aren't necessarily less social, but the contours of their social lives have changed.pxhere

Ask a teen today how she communicates with her friends, and she’ll probably hold up her smartphone. Not that she actually calls her friends; it’s more likely that she texts them or messages them on social media.

Today’s teens –...

Death penalty moratorium in California – what it means for the state and for the nation

Written by Hadar Aviram, Professor of Criminal Justice and Corrections, University of California, Hastings

Guards take apart the death penalty chamber at San Quentin State Prison on Wednesday, March 13, 2019California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP

Both celebration – and ire – followed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of a moratorium on the death penalty in California.

California’s 737 death row inmates...

Even if Netanyahu goes, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue

Written by Dov Waxman, Professor of Political Science, International Affairs and Israel Studies, Northeastern University

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.AP/Sebastian Scheiner

After a decade in office, Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure as Israel’s prime minister may soon be ending.

Whether his Likud Party loses power following Israel’s election on April 9, or he’s forced to resign the premiership after being indicted on multiple...

The bias hiding in your library

Written by Amanda Ros, Coordinator of Monograph Copy Cataloging, Texas A&M University

Library subjects and call numbers can be the subject of controversy.jakkaje808/shutterstock.com

For many years, the Library of Congress categorized many of its books under a controversial subject heading: “Illegal aliens.”

But then, on March 22, 2016, the library made a momentous decision, announcing that it was canceling the subject...

5 ways summer camp makes a difference – and what to look for in a camp

Written by Daniel J Richmond, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Utah

More than 14 million kids attend summer camp each year.Rawpixel from www.shutterstock.com

In popular culture, summer camp is often portrayed as a place where pranks are played, romances unfold and underdogs triumph. Classic summer camp movies such as the 1979 film “Meatballs” or, more recently, the 2012 movie “Moonrise Kingdom,&rdq...