The Conversation

I'm a Black sociologist, and a mom – by listening to other Black mothers, I've learned about their pandemic struggles and strengths

Written by Loren Henderson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

When schools shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, moms took on the burden of supporting students at home.AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar

I spent the 2020 spring break week setting up to teach my college courses online while helping to care for my 14-month-old grandchild, whose daycare had closed. At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking, bei...

What is a Latter-day Saint temple?

Written by Taylor Petrey, Associate Professor of Religion, Kalamazoo College

The temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along the Capital Beltway in Kensington, Md.Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration. Grand, sometimes even imposing...

Psychologists are starting to talk publicly about their own mental illnesses – and patients can benefit

Written by Andrew Devendorf, Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology, University of South Florida

Mental health professionals who have experienced mental illness have much to offer to their patients.Bulat Silvia/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

From sports and entertainment celebrities like Simone Biles, Ariana Grande and Ryan Reynolds to everyday social media users on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, more people are talking publicly...

Yes, US economy may be slowing, but don't forget it's coming off the hottest year since 1984 – here's who benefited in 4 charts

Written by D. Brian Blank, Assistant Professor of Finance, Mississippi State University

Tracking changes in net wealth is one of the best ways to see who benefited from economic growth. Chris Rogers/Photodisc via Getty Images

The U.S. economy unexpectedly shrank in the first quarter, according to gross domestic product data released on April 28, 2022. While the reasons were technical and weren’t seen as signs of weakness, they a...

Why do teens engage in self-harm? Clinical psychologists explain how to help teens reduce their emotional distress

Written by Kevin Kuehn, PhD Student in Clinical Psychology, University of Washington

Nearly 1 in 5 young people worldwide intentionally injure themselves every year.xijian/E! via Getty Images

Emotions are tricky things. They allow for humans to fall in love, wage war and, as it turns out, engage in self-harm.

It is hard to imagine an era in which young adults were more distressed than today. Recent Centers for Disease Control and...

How race and religion have always played a role in who gets refuge in the US

Written by Laura E. Alexander, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights, University of Nebraska Omaha

Ukrainian refugees wait near the U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have fled the country as refugees. Hundreds of those refugees have now arrived at the southern border of the United States seeking asylum, after flying to Mexico on tourist visas.

At the border,...

Despite $400 boost, Pell Grants fall far short of original goal to make college more affordable for low- and middle-income students

Written by Donald E. Heller, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of San Francisco

The Pell Grant covers less than 30 percent of the costs to attend a four-year public college. Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Back around when the Pell Grant was created by Congress in 1973 to help students from low-income families pay for higher education, it covered 80% of the costs of attending a public four-year college or...

How burying the dead keeps the living human

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

A man identified only as Viktor shows his neighbor's grave in Bucha, Ukraine. It was too dangerous to go to the cemetery.Jana Cavojska/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Olena Koval found out that her husband was dead via text message. He was shot by Russian soldiers inside their home in Bucha while she was sheltering nearby, their neighbors...

Harriet Tubman led military raids during the Civil War as well as her better-known slave rescues

Written by Kate Clifford Larson, Visiting Scholar Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University

A portrait of Harriet Tubman in 1878. Library of Congress/Getty Images

Harriet Tubman was barely 5 feet tall and didn’t have a dime to her name.

What she did have was a deep faith and powerful passion for justice that was fueled by a network of Black and white abolitionists determined to end slavery in America.

“I had reasoned this out...

How to protect your family from horrific news images – and still stay informed

Written by Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

Staying constantly attuned to disastrous news can take a lasting toll on your mental health.Wachirawit Jenlohakit/Moment via Getty Images

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a bitter reminder that there is no end to the horrific suffering that humans are sometimes willing to inflict on others.

Over the past several years, a seemingly endless stream...