The Conversation

Understanding paranormal beliefs and conspiracy theories isn’t just about misinformation – this course unpacks the history

Written by Jeb Card, Associate Teaching Professor of Anthropology, Miami University

The 'black mailbox' along Highway 375 near Rachel, Nev., a traditional spot for UFO hunters to meet and search the skies near Area 51.AP Photo/John Locher

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“Investigating the Paranormal”

What prompted the...

College course teaches Philly students to appreciate beer − whether they’re tailgating or fine dining

Written by Paul O'Neill, Assistant Clinical Professor of Food and Hospitality Management, Drexel University

The Philadelphia region is home to over 90 craft breweries.sutiporn somnam/Moment Collection via Getty Images

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

The Fundamentals of Beer

What prompted the idea for the course?

After 25 years of working in professional...

Can Trump just order new names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico? A geographer explains who decides what goes on the map

Written by Innisfree McKinnon, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Known as Mount McKinley until 2015, Denali's current name reflects what Native Alaskans call the mountain. Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali, the tallest peak in the country, has resulted in lots of discussion. While for some, such...

Trump inherits the Guantánamo prison, complete with 4 ‘forever prisoners’

Written by Lisa Hajjar, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara

A control tower overlooks the Camp VI detention facility, at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Joe Biden’s record of handling the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is decidedly mixed. He succeeded in reducing the detainee population he inherited by more than half, but he compounded...

Red light therapy shows promise for pain relief, inflammation and skin conditions – but other claims might be hyped

Written by Praveen Arany, Associate Professor of Oral Biology, University at Buffalo

A treatment typically lasts from three to 15 minutes.Rich Legg/E+ via Getty Images

Red light therapy is increasingly viewed as a promising treatment for wrinkles, acne, psoriasis, scars and sun-damaged skin, and as a supportive therapy for some kinds of cancer. But does red light therapy live up to the hype that it’s practically a panacea for...

Newly discovered photos of Nazi deportations show Jewish victims as they were last seen alive

Written by Wolf Gruner, Professor of History, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Deportation of Jews in Bielefeld, Germany, on Dec. 13, 1941. Courtesy City Archive Bielefeld, CC BY-SA

The Holocaust was the first mass atrocity to be heavily photographed.

The mass production and distribution of cameras in the 1930s and 1940s enabled Nazi officials and ordinary people to widely document Germany’s persecution of Jews and other...

Reproductive health care faces legal and surveillance challenges post-Roe – new research offers guidance

Written by Nora McDonald, Assistant Professor of Information Technology, George Mason University

Providers play a central role in reproductive health privacy.FG Trade/iStock via Getty Images

Long before Roe v. Wade was overturned, reproductive justice advocates had been sounding the alarm about the increasing number of women subjected to criminal investigation for suspected abortion, stillbirth or miscarriage. These cases were often initiated...

One large Milky Way galaxy or many galaxies? 100 years ago, a young Edwin Hubble settled astronomy’s ‘Great Debate’

Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

The Andromeda galaxy helped Edwin Hubble settle a great debate in astronomy. Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

A hundred years ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble dramatically expanded the size of the known universe. At a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January 1925, a paper read by one of his colleagues on his behalf reported that the...

US Supreme Court is unabashedly liberal − in its writing style

Written by Jill Barton, Professor and Director of Legal Writing, University of Miami

The current Supreme Court has upended historic precedent on abortion protections and drawn scrutiny for ethics conflicts, while its docket remains packed with high-profile cases set to dominate headlines in the months ahead.

Yet one of its lesser-known departures from the past lies in its approach to punctuation.

Justice Neil Gorsuch boldly departed...

Seizure of Sally Mann’s photographs in Texas revives old debates about obscenity and freedom of expression

Written by Amy Werbel, Professor of the History of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Photographer Sally Mann poses with her dog in 2004.Michael Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Four photographs by celebrated artist Sally Mann were recently removed from the walls of an exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth at the behest of local Republican officials, who claimed they constituted child pornography. The Fort...