The Conversation

Why Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal is priceless -- and unforgettable

Written by Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan

One giant leap for soccerkind.Allsport/Getty Images

Football has “The Catch,” baseball has “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” and basketball has “The Block.”

For soccer, it is Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” – a sporting moment captured in time, the mere mention of which can conjure...

Environmental justice has the White House's attention, building on 40 years of struggle – but California suggests new funding won't immediately solve deeply entrenched problems

Written by Tracy Perkins, Assistant Professor, School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University

Smokestacks in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington.Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A new office within the Environmental Protection Agency is bringing increased attention to a once-obscure concept: environmental justice.

The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will...

Business management doesn't always have to be about capitalism – this course shows how it can also be a calling

Written by Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations; Professor of Environment & Sustainability; Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

Business students are pursuing more than just careers.Morsa Images via Getty Images

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

Title of Course:

“Management as a Calling”

What prompted the idea for the course?

The idea for this course came from my frustration that...

Dung beetle mothers protect their offspring from a warming world by digging deeper

Written by Kimberly S. Sheldon, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

A road sign in Bursa, Turkey, warns drivers of the presence of dung beetles, stating 'Attention! It may come out, don't crush it please!' Ugur Ulu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

If the TV series “Dirty Jobs” covered animals as well as humans, it would probably start with dung beetles. These hardworking critters are among the insect...

Why magical thinking is so widespread – a look at the psychological roots of common superstitions

Written by Dimitris Xygalatas, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut

Lucky charms help us feel safer in an uncertain world.Image Source via Getty Images

Growing up in Greece, I spent my summers at my grandparents’ home in a small coastal village in the region of Chalkidiki. It was warm and sunny, and I passed most of my time playing in the streets with my cousins. But occasionally, the summer storms brought...

Midterms 2022: 4 experts on the effects of voter intimidation laws, widespread mail-in voting – and what makes a winner

Written by Thessalia Merivaki, Assistant Professor of American Politics, Mississippi State University

Voters cast their ballots in Madison, Wisc., on Nov. 8, 2022, as numerous close races draw to a close.Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

With control of Congress and statehouses at stake, voters across the nation headed to the polls on Election Day 2022. That was after more than 42 million people had already voted early or by mail. The Conversation asked...

Native American children's protection against adoption by non-Indian families is before the Supreme Court

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

Tehassi Hill, tribal chairman of the Oneida Nation, stands outside a U.S. appeals court in 2019 after arguments in a case that has made its way to the Supreme Court.AP Photo/Kevin McGill

During oral arguments about the constitutionality of a 1978 law enacted to protect Native American children in the U.S. and strengthen their families, U.S. Supreme...

Halloween without kids and Christmas without Christ take hold in Asia, with uniquely local twists

Written by Linus Owens, Associate Professor of Sociology, Middlebury

Halloween in Korea is celebrated primarily by young adults.AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

Halloween is supposed to be fun, a night to put on costumes and publicly celebrate with friends and strangers. Its traditional past as a festival for the dead lives on mainly in spooky decorations and scary movies.

But Halloween horror became all too real this year when...

Why the number of encounters at the southern U.S. border does not mean what the GOP says it means

Written by Ernesto Castañeda, Associate Professor of Sociology, American University

Groups of migrants wait for food donations in San Antonio on Sept. 19, 2022.Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images

Like many other Republican candidates and conservative talk show hosts, Kari Lake is using the racially tinged issue of immigration to fuel turnout in her gubernatorial campaign in Arizona. The former television anchor has boldly proclaimed...

Being light-skinned can lead to 'reverse colorism' in many parts of the world

Written by Ronald Hall, Professor of Social Work, Michigan State University

An albino girl carries a member of her family in Zimbabwe.Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

Racism is often debated, discussed and analyzed in politics, the classroom and the workplace.

But as a scholar of the politics of skin color, I see colorism as a form of prejudice that’s poorly understood and gets very little attention.

The Merriam-Webster...