The Conversation

Think the US is more polarized than ever? You don't know history

Written by Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War, Emeritus, University of Virginia

Union dead at Gettysburg, July 1863.National Archives, Timothy H. O'Sullivan photographer

It has become common to say that the United States in 2020 is more divided politically and culturally than at any other point in our national past.

As a historian who has written and taught about the Civil War era for several decades, I know that current...

Out-of-context photos are a powerful low-tech form of misinformation

Written by Lisa Fazio, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University

Have some healthy skepticism when you encounter images online.tommaso79/Stock via Getty Images Plus

When you think of visual misinformation, maybe you think of deepfakes – videos that appear real but have actually been created using powerful video editing algorithms. The creators edit celebrities into pornographic movies, and they can put...

Trump's big bet on career and technical education

Written by Shaun M. Dougherty, Associate Professor of Public Policy & Education, Vanderbilt University

Students work in the plumbing shop at Worcester Technical High School.Boston Globe/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has proposed one of the largest increases in funding for career and technical education in recent history.

As a education policy researcher who studies the economic and employment impact of career and technical education in high...

AI algorithms intended to root out welfare fraud often end up punishing the poor instead

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

Automated algorithms – not humans – are increasingly making decisions about who's eligible for welfare benefits.gorodenkoff/Getty Images

President Donald Trump recently suggested there is “tremendous fraud” in government welfare programs.

Although there’s very little evidence to back up his claim, he’s...

Incomplete and inadequate: Information lacking for seniors looking for assisted living

Written by Lindsay J. Peterson, Instructor, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida

Within the next decade, millions of seniors will be shopping for new housing.Getty Images / Elizabeth W. Kearley

As of today, the youngest of the nearly 70 million baby boomers is 55; the oldest is 74. Within the next decade, millions of them will need long-term care. Many will remain in their homes, with family or “drop-in” caregiver...

Well, impeachment didn't work – how else can Congress keep President Trump in check?

Written by Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

House Democrats have more more tools up their sleeves than impeachment alone.J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo

Donald Trump’s removal of impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the White House and intervention in his friend Roger Stone’s sentencing have prompted concern that the president’s acquittal in his recent...

Historic Iwo Jima footage shows individual Marines amid the larger battle

Written by Greg Wilsbacher, Curator of Newsfilm and Military Collections, University of South Carolina

Two Marines in the Marine Corps' 5th Division cemetery on Iwo Jima pay their respects to a fallen comrade.United States Marine Corps Film Repository, USMC 101863 (16mm film frame)

When most Americans think of the World War II battle for Iwo Jima – if they think of it at all, 75 years later – they think of one image: Marines raising the...

America’s postwar fling with romance comics

Written by Michael C. Weisenburg, Reference & Instruction Librarian at Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, University of South Carolina

With over 100 issues, 'Young Love' was one of the longest running romance comics series. Gary Lee Watson Comic Book Collection, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries, Author provided

Last year, comic book enthusiast Gary Watson donated his massive personal collection to the Irvin Department...

Minority patients benefit from having minority doctors, but that's a hard match to make

Written by Ryan Huerto, Family Medicine Physician, Health Services Researcher, Clinical Lecturer, University of Michigan

Minority patients often have better rapport with a same-race or same-ethnicity doctor. Getty Images / ER Productions Limited

In today’s America, minority patients still have markedly worse health outcomes than white patients. The differences are greatest for black Americans: Compared to white patients, they are two to three times as likely...

Restoring the reputations of charities after scandals

Written by Nives Dolsak, Stan and Alta Barer Professor in Sustainability Sciences, Director, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington

Allegations of sexual abuse can taint an aid group's image.Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images

Like companies, schools and other institutions, nonprofits care deeply about their reputations. Good reputations can help them attract volunteers, funding and staff. Because the opposite is also true, revelations about bad or even illegal actions can have...