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Why do so many working class Americans feel politics is pointless?

  • Written by Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture Editor
Of Jennifer Silva's sample of 108 working-class people, over two-thirds didn't even vote in the 2016 election.AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

In sociologist Jennifer Silva’s first book, “Coming Up Short,” she interviewed working-class young adults in Lowell, Mass., and Richmond, Virginia.

Most had a tough time earning decent wages. Many...

Read more: Why do so many working class Americans feel politics is pointless?

Understanding Christians' climate views can lead to better conversations about the environment

  • Written by Emma Frances Bloomfield, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Christians in the United States hold a range of views on environmental issues.Jim Bethel/Shutterstock

In their second round of debates, Democratic presidential candidates called for aggressive measures to slow climate change. As Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has said, “We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we are...

Read more: Understanding Christians' climate views can lead to better conversations about the environment

Boost in high school students taking advanced computer science could change the face of tech

  • Written by Christina Gardner-McCune, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Florida
New data show more girls and minority students are taking advanced computer science courses in high school.Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Often when I speak with students who are majoring in computer sciences, many of them tell me that they have never taken a computer science course until college. This is especially true for the female,...

Read more: Boost in high school students taking advanced computer science could change the face of tech

Could a national buyback program reduce gun violence in America?

  • Written by Lacey Wallace, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania State University

Americans own nearly half of the world’s guns, with approximately 120 firearms for every 100 U.S. residents.

Gun control policies may someday restrict new gun sales. But what impact can they have when Americans already own millions of guns?

Some have pointed to gun buybacks as a potential solution to this problem.

I have spent years studying...

Read more: Could a national buyback program reduce gun violence in America?

Could a national gun buyback program reduce the 393 million guns on America's streets?

  • Written by Lacey Wallace, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania State University

Americans own nearly half of the world’s guns, with approximately 120 firearms for every 100 U.S. residents.

Gun control policies may someday restrict new gun sales. But what impact can they have when Americans already own millions of guns?

Some have pointed to gun buybacks as a potential solution to this problem.

I have spent years studying...

Read more: Could a national gun buyback program reduce the 393 million guns on America's streets?

Scammers don't cheat because they need the money — they cheat because they're cheaters

  • Written by Marco A. Palma, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Director Human Behavior Laboratory, Texas A&M University
Cheating in games may have more to do with personality than with economic necessity, a new study finds.Shutterstock

Why do people cheat?

When we hear that a poor person scammed others out of money, we may attribute this behavior to their poverty, rationalizing that the person violated ethics and the law because they needed the money.

But the rich...

Read more: Scammers don't cheat because they need the money — they cheat because they're cheaters

Puerto Ricans unite against Rosselló – and more than a decade of cultural trauma

  • Written by Elizabeth Aranda, Professor of Sociology, University of South Florida

Puerto Ricans wrote a new chapter in their history on July 24.

Governor Ricardo Rosselló finally resigned after 12 days of massive protests in Puerto Rico, as well as protests abroad, that demanded his resignation; all the protests used the hashtag #RickyRenuncia.

The beginning of the protests can be traced to the release by Centro de...

Read more: Puerto Ricans unite against Rosselló – and more than a decade of cultural trauma

There's a dark political history to language that strips people of their dignity

  • Written by William A. Donohue, Distinguished Professor of Communication, Michigan State University

Dehumanizing language often precedes genocide.

One tragic example: Extreme dehumanizing language was a strong contributor to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. As I have written, the Hutu majority used a popular radio station to continually refer to Tutsi tribal members, a minority in Rwanda, as “cockroaches.”

As support for this...

Read more: There's a dark political history to language that strips people of their dignity

The White House is upending decades of protocol for policy-making

  • Written by Stuart Shapiro, Professor of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
Ford, Carter, George H.W. Bush and Clinton led four of the first administrations to fully embrace policy analysis.

Whether it’s overhauling asylum procedures, adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census, or rolling back fuel standards, a pattern has emerged when the Trump administration changes policies and creates new ones.

An...

Read more: The White House is upending decades of protocol for policy-making

An ambitious plan to stop the rise of superbugs

  • Written by David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California San Diego
These bacteria are resistant to antibiotics.Melissa Brower/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP

Antibiotic resistance is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to stop it.

A headline that always catches my attention is that antibiotic resistance is on the rise. Underlying these headlines is that the...

Read more: An ambitious plan to stop the rise of superbugs

More Articles ...

  1. Are shared e-scooters good for the planet? Only if they replace car trips
  2. Grudges come naturally to kids – gratitude must be taught
  3. As Herman Melville turns 200, his works have never been more relevant
  4. Why science needs the humanities to solve climate change
  5. The Muslim Hajj: A spiritual pilgrimage with political overtones
  6. Why isn't Stacey Abrams running? Because African Americans lose to incumbent governors and senators
  7. Why the 'brain-eating' amoeba found in freshwater lakes – while rare – is so deadly
  8. Conspiracy theories and fear of needles contribute to vaccine hesitancy for many parents
  9. Fed rate cut bails out Trump for policies that are slowing the economy
  10. If Germany atoned for the Holocaust, the US can pay reparations for slavery
  11. What’s the scoop on kids and dirt? Get enough to help, but not enough to hurt, a doctor advises
  12. Black bears adapt to life near humans by burning the midnight oil
  13. Political polarization is about feelings, not facts
  14. School spankings are banned just about everywhere around the world except in US
  15. All public universities get private money, but some get much more than the rest
  16. Yes, flesh-eating bacteria are in the warm coastal waters – but it doesn't mean you'll get sick
  17. How organized labor can reverse decades of decline
  18. More Central American migrants take shelter in churches, recalling 1980s sanctuary movement
  19. The rhetorical trick Trump used on the 'Squad' and how it could affect the vote
  20. Opioid epidemic may have cost states at least $130 billion in treatment and related expenses – and that's just the tip of the iceberg
  21. Curious Kids: How are cats declawed, and is it painful?
  22. Budgeting for charity: A new way for the government to encourage giving
  23. The difference between 'left' and 'liberal' – and why voters need to know
  24. How did the presidential campaign get to be so long?
  25. How ICE enforcement has changed under the Trump administration
  26. Why Facebook's new 'privacy cop' is doomed to fail
  27. Why Trump's stoking of white racial resentment is effective – but makes all working-class Americans worse off
  28. Restricting SNAP benefits could hurt millions of Americans – and local communities
  29. Curious Kids: How does the stuff in a fire extinguisher stop a fire?
  30. A Confederate statue graveyard could help bury the Old South
  31. No, Lyme disease is not an escaped military bioweapon, despite what conspiracy theorists say
  32. Lead-based paint found in half of all inspected schools
  33. From 'Pretty Little Liars' to 'The OC,' television producers need to stop encouraging teen drinking – here's how they can
  34. A World War II battle holds key lessons for modern warfare
  35. Shark Week looms, but don't panic
  36. CBD and genetic testing provide hope for 'intractable' epilepsy in children
  37. How technology could be a solution to caregiver shortage for seniors
  38. How college towns could benefit more from throngs of student volunteers
  39. The internet is rotting – let's embrace it
  40. The Mueller hearing and the death of facts
  41. Webcams in nursing home rooms may deter elder abuse – but are they ethical?
  42. What in the world is a slime eel?
  43. Investors, consumers and workers are changing capitalism for the better by demanding companies behave more responsibly
  44. US health care: An industry too big to fail
  45. The Supreme Court decision that kept suburban schools segregated
  46. Facebook algorithm changes suppressed journalism and meddled with democracy
  47. Is Boris Johnson, Britain's new prime minister, anti-immigrant, a homophobe, a bigot – or just politically expedient?
  48. Without school, a 'lost generation' of Rohingya refugee children face uncertain future
  49. Resource depletion is a serious problem, but 'footprint' estimates don't tell us much about it
  50. Why are Atlantic and Gulf coast property owners building back bigger after hurricanes?