The Conversation

Moms think more about household chores − and this cognitive burden hurts their mental health

Written by Darby Saxbe, Professor of Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Moms more often make the list, even when dads help cross things off it.Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

When you think about housework, you likely think of actions: scrubbing the dishes, running errands, chopping vegetables for dinner. And it’s not news to say that mothers often shoulder the burden for most of those activities.

But...

Buddha’s lessons on impermanence are carved into monuments and buildings – this course explores why

Written by Mitch Hendrickson, Associate Professor of Archeology, University of Illinois Chicago

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

Title of course:

The Archaeology of Buddhism

What prompted the idea for the course?

I adopted this course from a colleague when I took on my assistant professor position here at University of Illinois, Chicago. Over the years, the...

I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City – here’s what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know

Written by Eric L. Piza, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University

Cities and towns across the United States have invested in the gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter.Douglas Sacha/Getty Images, CC BY

Like many large cities in the U.S., Detroit’s gun violence rate has fluctuated since the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The city’s murder rate increased...

Xi signals no deviation from course – nor in the driver – despite economic bumps in the road

Written by Anthony Saich, Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

All seeing, all powerful, all Xi.Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has laid out his vision for China’s economic and social future – and it places Xi Jinping at the very center.

Having cemented his political legacy at the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress in October 2022 by being confirmed leader until at...

Video game performers are becoming Hollywood stars in their own right − and are on strike to be paid and protected accordingly

Written by James Dawes, Professor of English, Macalester College

A shirt supporting striking video game performers is worn during Comic-Con International on July 26, 2024, in San Diego.Christy Radecic/Invision/AP

Hollywood screenwriters went on strike in May 2023. Two months later, actors joined them on the picket line. Those strikes ended later that year with historic deals that included, for the first time,...

Hospital-acquired infections are rising – here’s how to protect yourself in health care settings

Written by Nasia Safdar, Professor of Infectious Disease, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Whether a patient or visitor, hand hygiene while at the hospital is critical.Luis Alvarez/Digital Vision via Getty Images

A new study from the National Institutes of Health shows a jump in both hospital-acquired infections and resistance to the antibiotics used to treat them. The findings are based on data gathered at 120 U.S. hospitals from...

What GoFundMe conceals: The campaigns that fail

Written by Martin Lukk, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, University of Toronto

Faran Kaplan's neighbor set up a GoFundMe page for him that raised over $100,000 after his wife was killed and other relatives injured in an accident. Pete Marovich/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Long before the advent of reality television, the popular game show “Queen for a Day” thrilled American audiences by giving women who...

Kamala Harris is no Hubert Humphrey − how the presumed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee isn’t like the 1968 party candidate

Written by Aram Goudsouzian, Bizot Family Professor of History, University of Memphis

Kamala Harris greets staff at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on July 22, 2024. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Staring straight at the camera, with a grave expression on his face, the president uttered these famous words: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your...

JD Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate marks the end of Republican conservatism

Written by Karyn Amira, Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Charleston

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance at a campaign rally in Michigan on July 20, 2024. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Since Donald Trump chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, it’s been widely noted that Vance once described Trump as “reprehensible” and “cultural heroin.”...

Anti-Syrian violence in Turkey complicates normalization process between Turkey and Syria

Written by Sefa Secen, Postdoctoral Scholar in Political Science, The Ohio State University

Friends again? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad.Adem Altanlouai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images

Chances of a rapprochement between regional rivals Turkey and Syria were raised momentarily on July 22, 2024, with news that the leaders of both countries were set for a much-anticipated meeting aimed...