The Conversation

How much power can an image actually wield?

Written by Nicole Smith Dahmen, Assistant Professor of Visual Communication, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon

Conventional wisdom maintains that images hold “power” to sway public opinion, to move us to action and to ultimately “change history.”

In early April, gut-wrenching images seem to have once again awakened the world to the human atrocities happening in Syria. Following a chemical bomb attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, gra...

Are there too many music festivals?

Written by Jonathan Wynn, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Coachella unofficially kicks off the 2017 U.S. festival season on April 15, and while this year’s event in Indio, California will likely set attendance records, there are concerning trends in the live music industry.

Tennessee’s massive Bonnaroo attracted 38 percent fewer attendees in 2016 than the year prior. And even in...

Bible classes in schools can lead to strife among neighbors

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

A Bible study group for school students in Oklahoma.AP Photo/Brandi Simons

A federal lawsuit was filed recently against the Mercer County, West Virginia Board of Education, challenging a Bible program in the elementary schools. The plaintiffs are the Freedom From Religion Foundation and two parents and their children. One parent and both children...

How social media turned United's PR flub into a firestorm

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

Recent PR stumbles by United Airlines and Uber illustrate the challenges for businesses in an age when citizen activism is amplified by social media. Incidents that not so long ago would have been relatively isolated are inflaming public sentiment at a breathtaking pace, catching companies wrong-footed and significantly raising the stakes of such...

Why addressing loneliness in children can prevent a lifetime of loneliness in adults

Written by Elizabeth Tillinghast, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons; Faculty Member, Columbia Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Columbia University Medical Center

Loneliness in adults is often a result of loneliness in childhood. From www.shutterstock.com

The Republicans’ controversial effort to repeal the perhaps optimistically named Affordable Care Act because of rising premiums may be fatally stalled. But there are other ways to rein in health care costs that have been almost entirely overlooked....

Six questions about the French elections

Written by Joshua Cole, Professor of History, University of Michigan

As France goes to the polls to elect a new president, observers are wondering if the vote will follow a populist trend that led to Brexit and the election of Donald Trump.

Here are a few important things to know about the upcoming vote, as explained by Joshua Cole, an American scholar of European history.

1. How does the French presidential...

Why you may be paying more income tax than you should

Written by Youssef Benzarti, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles

Springtime brings many things, from proverbial showers to birds chirping and warmer weather. It also signals tax season is upon us once more.

Every year 140 million U.S. taxpayers spend countless hours gathering receipts and statements, filling out a variety of schedules and forms, and submitting their 1040s and various other supporting documents...

In planned EPA cuts, US to lose vital connection to at-risk communities

Written by Deborah Morrison, Professor of Advertising, University of Oregon

Activists, federal workers and union representatives rallied for environmental protection policies at the EPA. American Federation of Government Employees, CC BY

Recent headlines point to a relentless undoing of policy and process within the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Trump budget calls for slashing the EPA budget by an estimated 31...

Fracking comes to the Arctic in a new Alaska oil boom

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Affiliate Faculty, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Trans-Alaska Pipeline, northern Brooks Range, Alaska.U.S.Geological Survey/Flickr

Arctic lands and waters hold irresistible allure for global oil companies. Despite opposition from environmental groups and President Obama’s 2016 ban on drilling in federal Arctic waters, exploration in Alaska has revealed massive new volumes of oil.

This comes...

Venezuela has lost its democratic facade

Written by Laura Gamboa, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Utah State University

Although the Venezuelan government has become increasingly authoritarian since the early 2000s, last week was the first time it openly attacked democracy.

On March 29, the Venezuelan Supreme Court, controlled by the executive branch, took over the functions of the National Assembly. Although this is not the first time the Venezuelan government...