The Conversation

What's behind America's promotion of religious liberty abroad

Written by Gene Zubovich, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Washington University in St Louis

Samuel Brownback appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

On Jan. 24, the Senate confirmed Sam Brownback, the governor of Kansas – a Methodist, who converted to Catholicism and today attends an evangelical church – for the position of ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. On...

Why I teach a course called 'White Racism'

Written by Ted Thornhill, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida Gulf Coast University professor Ted Thornhill discusses his course on 'White Racism.'Aaron Nunes-Zaller, CC BY-ND

The need for students to learn about racism in American society existed long before I began teaching a course called “White Racism” at Florida Gulf Coast University earlier this year.

I chose to title my course “...

Charity and taxes: 4 questions answered

Written by Patrick Rooney, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Professor of Economics and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

About 1 in 20 taxpayers may fill out this part of their returns beginning with the 2018 tax year. Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: Patrick Rooney, associate dean for academic affairs and research at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, weighs in on why Americans who have lost incentives to give to...

The deepest-dwelling fish in the sea is small, pink and delicate

Written by Mackenzie Gerringer, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Washington

Image from video of Mariana snailfish. SOI/HADES/University of Aberdeen (Dr. Alan Jamieson) , CC BY-ND

Thanks to movies and nature videos, many people know that bizarre creatures live in the ocean’s deepest, darkest regions. They include viperfish with huge mouths and big teeth, and anglerfish, which have bioluminescent lures that make their...

A century ago, progressives were the ones shouting 'fake news'

Written by Matthew Jordan, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Pennsylvania State University

An 1894 cartoon by Frederick Burr Opper criticizes American newspapers' elasticity with the truth.Library of Congress

Donald Trump may well be remembered as the president who cried “fake news.”

It started after the inauguration, when he used it to discredit stories about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. He hasn’t let up...

How Facebook could really fix itself

Written by Bhaskar Chakravorti, Senior Associate Dean, International Business & Finance, Tufts University

Under fire: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Facebook has a world of problems. Beyond charges of Russian manipulation and promoting fake news, the company’s signature social media platform is under fire for being addictive, causing anxiety and depression, and even instigating human rights abuses.

Company founder...

The education of Ursula Le Guin

Written by Philip W. Scher, Professor of Anthropology and Folkore, University of Oregon

A connection can be made in between Ursula Le Guin's fiction and her father's groundbreaking work in anthropology.Oregon State University, CC BY-SA

On Jan. 22, Ursula K. Le Guin died in Portland, Oregon. Since then, much has been written memorializing her genre-defying body of work, her contributions to feminism and science fiction, and her broad...

Why colleges must change how they teach calculus

Written by David Bressoud, DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, Macalester College

Many college students who take calculus fail to earn a C or better. Could 'active learning' help turn things around?pixabay

Math departments fail too many calculus students and do not adequately prepare those they pass.

That is the message heard from engineering colleges across the country. Calculus has often been viewed as a tool for screening who...

What employers can do to stop the next Larry Nassar

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Larry Nassar will spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes. Should anyone else bear responsibility? AP Photo/Paul Sancya

The criminal case against Larry Nassar ended on Jan. 24 after the testimony of more than 100 former gymnasts led to what amounts to a lifetime prison sentence for sex crimes.

The legal saga surrounding his decades of...

Americans are saving energy by staying at home

Written by Ashok Sekar, Postdoctoral Fellow, Energy Systems Transformation (EST) Research Group, University of Texas at Austin

www.shutterstock.com

Information and communication technologies are radically transforming modern lifestyles. They are redefining our concept of “space” by turning homes and coffee shops into workspaces. (This article was written in a coffee shop.) Instead of going to the theater, many people sit in the comfort of their homes and stream...