The Conversation

Centuries after Christine de Pizan wrote a book railing against misogyny, Taylor Swift is building her own ‘City of Ladies’

Written by Jill R. Fehleison, Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies, Quinnipiac University

In her work, Taylor Swift has taken inspiration from women of the past, including actress Clara Bow, socialite Rebekah Harkness and her grandmother Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer.

But sometimes I wonder what the 34-year-old pop star would think of the life and work of Italian-born French writer Christine de Pizan.

Back in the 15th...

Despite its big night at the Oscars, ‘Oppenheimer’ is a disappointment and a lost opportunity

Written by Naoko Wake, Professor of History, Michigan State University

The U.S. detonates an atomic bomb at Bikini Atoll in Micronesia in the first underwater test of the device.Universal History Archive/Getty Images

With 13 Oscars nominations and seven wins – including best picture – “Oppenheimer” was the star of the 96th Academy Awards.

Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster, which told the...

Biden defends immigration policy during State of the Union, blaming Republicans in Congress for refusing to act

Written by Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address on March 7, 2024. Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images

President Joe Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, casting a wide net on a range of major themes – the economy, abortion rights, threats to democracy, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine – that are...

Detroiters more likely to support local solar power development if they think it reduces energy prices for their community

Written by Douglas Bessette, Associate Professor for Energy Systems, Michigan State University

Solar panels at the DTE O'Shea Solar Park at work in Detroit in November 2022. AP/ Paul Sancya

Michigan residents overwhelmingly want more solar power.

In the spring of 2023, nearly two-thirds of 1,000 state residents surveyed supported additional large-scale solar development.

In the Energy Values Lab at Michigan State University, we study how the...

Femicide in Italy: A modern phenomenon deeply rooted in country’s cultural past

Written by Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Associate Professor of Critical Cultural & International Studies, Colorado State University

“Femicide is not a crime of passion, it is a crime of power,” wrote Elena Cecchettin after her sister was killed in November 2023.

Italian student Giulia Cecchettin, 22, was killed allegedly by her controlling ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, a fellow student at a university in Padua. Not being able to handle the breakup, Turetta lured...

What is a frozen embryo worth? Alabama’s IVF case reflects bigger questions over grieving and wrongful death laws

Written by Katherine Drabiak, Professor of Health Law, Public Health Law and Medical Ethics, University of South Florida

An embryologist uses a microscope to view an embryo, visible on a monitor.AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

In the weeks since the Alabama Supreme Court held that embryos are “unborn children” under one state law, most attention has been focused on in vitro fertilization – whether the decision imperils parents’ attempts to create...

A Barbie dollhouse and a field trip led me to become an architect − now I lead a program that teaches architecture to mostly young women in South Central Los Angeles

Written by Lauren Matchison, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Southern California

Do dollhouses possess the potential to inspire young girls to design and build?Kosamtu via Getty Images

As a kid growing up in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, in the ’80s, my sister and I spent a lot of time playing with Barbie in the basement of our single-family home. I loved dressing her and imagining her life. But the best part about...

I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers

Written by Gábor Scheiring, Fellow, Harvard University

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a meeting in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Hungarian leader and strongman Viktor Orbán, who presided over the radical decline of democracy in his country, is scheduled to meet with former President...

Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits

Written by Kristi Curry Rogers, Professor of Biology and Geology, Macalester College

A replica fossil of the titanosaur _Patagotitan_, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. It would have weighed about 70 tons (63.5 metric tons.)Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

You’re probably familiar with classic sauropod dinosaurs – the four-legged herbivores famous for their long necks and tails. Animals such...

High-energy laser weapons: A defense expert explains how they work and what they are used for

Written by Iain Boyd, Director, Center for National Security Initiatives, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

The USS Portland test-fires a laser weapon. The photo captured infrared light to make the beam visible.Staff Sgt. Donald Holbert/Marine Corps via AP

Nations around the world are rapidly developing high-energy laser weapons for military missions on land and sea, and in the air and space. Visions of swarms of small, inexpensive drones filling the...