The Conversation

School closure debates put teachers unions front and center

Written by Katharine O. Strunk, Professor of Education Policy and Economics, Michigan State University

Schools in Chicago have suffered days of disruption.Scott Olson/Getty Images

Classes in Chicago were canceled for a third day on Jan. 7, 2022, amid a bitter standoff between the teachers union and public school leaders over in-person instruction during a spike in COVID-19 infections.

The dispute echoes those that occurred earlier in the pandemic when...

Biden urges America to see the truth of Jan. 6 – and understand its place in history

Written by John M. Murphy, Professor of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Delivered under the eyes of history.Jabin Botsford//The Washington Post via AP

President Joe Biden closed his speech commemorating and deploring the events of Jan. 6, 2021, by asking God to “bless those who stand watch over democracy.”

To “stand watch” is to stand guard, but as a metaphor, it runs deeper. To stand watch on a...

How democracy gets eroded – lessons from a Nixon expert

Written by Ken Hughes, Research Specialist, the Miller Center, University of Virginia

Security fences stand near the U.S. Capitol on January 5, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Now that a full year has passed since the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, the 2020 election and the republic, it’s evident that the attack never really ended. Instead, it spread out to other, less visible, more vulnerable targets.

Donald Trump had...

Can a Christian flag fly at city hall? The Supreme Court will have to decide

Written by Mark Satta, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Wayne State University

Organizations can apply to have their flag temporarily replace the Boston city flag, shown on far right, in front of City Hall.gregobagel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

There are three flagpoles outside Boston City Hall. One flies the United States flag. Another flies the Massachusetts state flag. What can – and can’t – fly from the...

The 'China shock' of trade in the 2000s reverberates in US politics and economics – and warns of the dangers for fossil fuel workers

Written by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics, Rochester Institute of Technology

Containers are seen stacked at a port in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province on Jan. 14, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

In December 1978, the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping introduced economic reforms that dramatically altered China’s economy by strengthening trade and cultural ties with the West.

Beginning in the 1990s, these reforms...

College students with young kids – especially mothers – find themselves in a time crunch

Written by Claire Wladis, Professor of Urban Education, CUNY Graduate Center

Mothers in college have less time to study than students without children. 10'000 Hours/Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

We found that college students who have children had significantly less time for college than their childless peers – about 4.3 hours less per week, to be specific...

Real shooting stars exist, but they aren't the streaks you see in a clear night sky

Written by Idan Ginsburg, Academic Faculty in Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University

Some stars travel at high speeds through the universe and sometimes leave spectacular clouds of dust and gas in their wake. NASA, ESA and R. Sahai (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), CC BY

“I see thy glory like a shooting star.”

So says the Earl of Salisbury as he ruminates about the future in Shakespeare’s “Richard...

When endangered species recover, humans may need to make room for them – and it's not always easy

Written by Veronica Frans, PhD Student, Michigan State University

Fencing protects New Zealand sea lions that have migrated inland from road traffic.Janet Ledingham, CC BY-ND

Imagine discovering a sea lion in the middle of the woods, more than a mile inland from the beach. Or coming face to face with one of these curious creatures in a local swimming pool or on your front porch.

These encounters are happening in...

A taste for sweet – an anthropologist explains the evolutionary origins of why you're programmed to love sugar

Written by Stephen Wooding, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Heritage Studies, University of California, Merced

Being able to perceive sweetness can guide foragers to the most calorie-rich picks.Elva Etienne/Moment via Getty Images

The sweetness of sugar is one of life’s great pleasures. People’s love for sweet is so visceral, food companies lure consumers to their products by adding sugar to almost everything they make: yogurt, ketchup, fruit...

Online tools put will-writing in reach for most people – but they're not the end of the line for producing a legally binding document

Written by Allison Anna Tait, Professor of Law, University of Richmond

Paper copies of wills haven't gone extinct yet, but online estate tools have brought will preparation into the 21st century.Bradshaw79/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

The promise of online wills is undeniable. Online programs offer people an easy way to write their wills. Online templates can be completed anywhere, at any time. There is no office appointment,...