The Conversation

Gold rush opportunists, hippie goat ladies, Latino newcomers: California entrepreneurs dream of cheese

Written by Heather Paxson, Professor of Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Humboldt Fog chèvre, born in a dream.T.Depaepe, CC BY-ND

The idea for Humboldt Fog goat’s milk cheese first came to Mary Keehn in a dream. She fell asleep on an airplane and awoke with a vivid picture in her mind of how the cheese looked. And then she set out to realize her vision – in the process, helping to launch a...

3 myths about the poor that Republicans are using to support slashing US safety net

Written by Michele Gilman, Venable Professor of Law, University of Baltimore

Sen. Chuck Grassley recently seemed to suggest some poor people spend all their money on "booze or women or movies."AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Republicans continue to use long-debunked myths about the poor as they defend lower taxes for the rich and deep cuts to the social safety net to pay for them. In so doing, they are essentially expressing...

Can college 'promise' programs deliver?

Written by Laura Perna, Professor of Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania

Researchers are taking a close look at "college promise" programs to see if they actually help more students obtain a college educationCalvste / Shutterstock.com

In one of her first public acts as the new mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan signed an executive order last month to phase in a free college tuition program. The program promises up to two...

Design is key in college 'promise' programs

Written by Laura Perna, Professor of Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania

Researchers are taking a close look at "college promise" programs to see if they actually help more students obtain a college educationCalvste / Shutterstock.com

In one of her first public acts as the new mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan signed an executive order last month to phase in a free college tuition program. The program promises up to two...

How parenthood has changed the way I read ancient stories of Joseph and Mary's relationship with Jesus

Written by Christopher A. Frilingos, Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Michigan State University

Hanging church courtyard tile mural showing holy family traveling.Daniel Mayer (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

As Christmas approaches, many Christians will reflect on the Nativity, or birth of Jesus. The Christian Bible includes two different stories of the birth of Jesus, found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. But...

How parenthood has changed the way I read ancient childhood stories about Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Written by Christopher A. Frilingos, Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Michigan State University

Hanging church courtyard tile mural showing holy family traveling.Daniel Mayer (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Dreading conflict during the holidays? Let it go, let it go, let it go

Written by Nicholas Joyce, Psychologist, University of South Florida

Happiness is possible during the holidays.Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com

Every holiday season, families and friends convene to share affection, kindness and experience. In the ideal holiday atmosphere, one often depicted in commercials and media, such get-togethers are places of warmth, appreciation and general happiness.

If you find yourself in...

An anthropologist explains why we love holiday rituals and traditions

Written by Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor in Anthropology, University of Connecticut

Working together on a once-a-year project feels festive and special.Flotsam/Shutterstock.com

The mere thought of holiday traditions brings smiles to most people’s faces and elicits feelings of sweet anticipation and nostalgia. We can almost smell those candles, taste those special meals, hear those familiar songs in our minds.

Ritual marks...

The moral questions in the debate on what constitutes terrorism

Written by Jessica Wolfendale, Associate Professor of Philosophy, West Virginia University

Who is a terrorist?Evan McCaffrey/Shutterstock.com

Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old man, has been accused of detonating a pipe bomb strapped to his body in a New York subway, injuring four people on the morning of Dec. 11. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the attack and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was “an attempted...

To prevent the next global crisis, don't forget today's small disasters

Written by Tilly Alcayna, Researcher in disaster preparedness, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), Harvard University, Harvard University

In an era of seemingly ceaseless tragedies, it can be hard to stay on top of the news. This week, six wildfires have burned up over 141,000 acres in California – an area larger than the cities of New York and Boston combined – killing two people.

A few weeks prior, the headlines were on Iran’s deadly earthquake. Before that, it...