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America's founders believed civic education and historical knowledge would prevent tyranny – and foster democracy

  • Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino
imageThe founders believed education was crucial to democracy. Here, a one-room schoolhouse in Breathitt County, Ky.Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott/Library of Congress

The majority of Americans today are anxious; they believe their democracy is under threat.

In fact, democracies deteriorate easily. As was feared since the times of Greek philosopher...

Read more: America's founders believed civic education and historical knowledge would prevent tyranny – and...

As South Sudan turns 10, questions over the role of the church emerge amid anti-clerical violence

  • Written by Christopher Tounsel, Assistant Professor of History and African Studies, Penn State
imageReligious identity played a role in liberation struggle.Ali Ngethi/AFP via Getty Images)

On July 9, 2021, South Sudan will celebrate its 10th anniversary of independence – but it does so amid concern over violence in the young nation.

Recent attacks on two Catholic priests have also put a focus on the role of the church in South Sudan. The...

Read more: As South Sudan turns 10, questions over the role of the church emerge amid anti-clerical violence

Political frustration in Northern Ireland has heightened tension around 'marching season'

  • Written by Ger FitzGerald, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, George Mason University
imageA diminished voice in the union?Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

In Northern Ireland every year, a monthslong “marching season” sees members of a Protestant organization called the Orange Order don suits and bowler hats and take to the streets armed with banners and drums.

The parades commemorate the military victory of Dutch Protestant...

Read more: Political frustration in Northern Ireland has heightened tension around 'marching season'

Haiti's president assassinated: 5 essential reads to give you key history and insight

  • Written by Catesby Holmes, International Editor | Politics Editor, The Conversation US
imageHaitian police patrol outside the presidential residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021, after President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. Valerie Baeriswyl/AFP via Getty Images

The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse risks destabilizing the Caribbean country, which was already in crisis over alarmingly high violence and...

Read more: Haiti's president assassinated: 5 essential reads to give you key history and insight

From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs

  • Written by Greg Eghigian, Professor of History, Penn State
imageThe worldwide fascination with UFOs started in the late 1940s after a few incidents made the news in the U.S. David Zaitz/The Image Bank via Getty Images

On June 25, 2021, the U.S. government released a nine–page preliminary report on UFOs, or, as it is now calling them, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UAPs. The report is the latest notable...

Read more: From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs

Do I need a COVID-19 booster shot? 6 questions answered on how to stay protected

  • Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia
imageA booster shot may be necessary to maintain COVID-19 immunity.Daniel Schludi/Unsplash, CC BY-SA

The increasing prevalence of new coronavirus variants is raising questions about how well protected those who’ve already had their COVID-19 shots are against evolving forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here, microbiology and infectious disease...

Read more: Do I need a COVID-19 booster shot? 6 questions answered on how to stay protected

Knowing how heat and humidity affect your body can help you stay safe during heat waves

  • Written by JohnEric W. Smith, Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, Mississippi State University
imageRecord-breaking triple-digit heat in Olympia, Wash., on June 28, 2021.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Less than a month into North America’s official summer, heat waves are blistering much of the West. California and the Southwest are facing excessive heat watches for the second time, after a mid-June heat wave pushed temperatures above 100 F (38 C).

A...

Read more: Knowing how heat and humidity affect your body can help you stay safe during heat waves

What is cultural appropriation, and how does it differ from cultural appreciation?

  • Written by Joshua E. Kane, Lecturer, Arizona State University
imageAmerican reality TV star Kim Kardashian was criticized for sporting earrings patterned from the sacred Hindu Om symbol during a photo shoot for her beauty products line.E-Times

Fashion companies are increasingly being taken to task for selling expensive versions of traditional Indigenous dress. Gucci’s kaftans came with a US$3,500 price tag,...

Read more: What is cultural appropriation, and how does it differ from cultural appreciation?

Yes, US states did get more money from Washington than they needed for COVID-19 relief

  • Written by Raymond Scheppach, Professor of Public Policy, University of Virginia
imagePresident Joe Biden speaks about the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 on Feb. 22, 2021 in Washington, D.C.Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Across the country, states got huge infusions of cash from the federal government to help them deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the most recent infusion of money comes from the American Rescue Plan...

Read more: Yes, US states did get more money from Washington than they needed for COVID-19 relief

Slain Haitian president faced calls for resignation, sustained mass protests before killing

  • Written by Tamanisha John, Ph.D. Candidate of International Relations, Florida International University
imagePresidential guards patrol the entrance to the residence of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 7, 2021. Moïse was assassinated in an attack there early that morning. AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, in a brazen attack on...

Read more: Slain Haitian president faced calls for resignation, sustained mass protests before killing

More Articles ...

  1. It's not just bad behavior – why social media design makes it hard to have constructive disagreements online
  2. 5 digital games that teach civics through play
  3. New York defines illegal firearms use as a 'public nuisance' in bid to pierce gun industry's powerful liability shield
  4. US Black and Latino communities often have low vaccination rates – but blaming vaccine hesitancy misses the mark
  5. Should the Supreme Court have term limits?
  6. Por qué algunas personas terminan viviendo en aeropuertos durante semanas, meses e incluso años
  7. Global evidence links rise in extreme precipitation to human-driven climate change
  8. Research shows labor unions help lower the risk of poverty
  9. Fixing America's crumbling physical -- and human -- infrastructure: 3 essential reads
  10. Why reparations are always about more than money
  11. Fixing America's crumbling physical – and human – infrastructure: 3 essential reads
  12. Expanding opportunities for women and economic uncertainty are both factors in declining US fertility rates
  13. 'Landmark' verdicts like Chauvin murder conviction make history – but court cases alone don't transform society
  14. Why vacations feel like they're over before they even start
  15. With support for Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad becomes just one of several deans to tweet themselves into trouble
  16. Religion at the Supreme Court: 3 essential reads
  17. While debate rages over glyphosate-based herbicides, farmers are spraying them all over the world
  18. Why Communion matters in Catholic life -- and what it means to be denied the Eucharist
  19. Far more adults don't want children than previously thought
  20. New York City or Los Angeles? Where you live says a lot about what and when you tweet
  21. Supreme Court strikes down California's nonprofit donor disclosure requirements: 4 questions answered
  22. Supreme Court blunts voting rights in Arizona – and potentially nationwide – in controversial ruling
  23. Trump Organization indictment hints at downsides of having no independent oversight – unlike companies traded on Wall Street
  24. 'Megadrought' along border strains US-Mexico water relations
  25. Infighting in the Southern Baptist Convention shouldn't be a surprise – the denomination has been defined by such squabbles for 400 years
  26. A medical moonshot would help fix inequality in American health care
  27. Benjamin Franklin's fight against a deadly virus: Colonial America was divided over smallpox inoculation, but he championed science to skeptics
  28. What's a ghost kitchen? A food industry expert explains
  29. Racism lurks behind decisions to deny Black high school students from being recognized as the top in their class
  30. Trustees' handling of Nikole Hannah-Jones' tenure application shows how university boards often fail the accountability test
  31. 5 children's books that teach valuable engineering lessons
  32. Skip the fireworks this record-dry 4th of July, over 150 wildfire scientists urge the US West
  33. US intelligence report on UFOs: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world
  34. An expert on search and rescue robots explains the technologies used in disasters like the Florida condo collapse
  35. Critical race theory: What it is and what it isn't
  36. China's 'one-child policy' left at least 1 million bereaved parents childless and alone in old age, with no one to take care of them
  37. To make agriculture more climate-friendly, carbon farming needs clear rules
  38. The ethical questions raised by COVID-19 vaccines: 5 essential reads
  39. When a Black boxing champion beat the 'Great White Hope,' all hell broke loose
  40. The US drug industry used to oppose patents – what changed?
  41. The Declaration of Independence wasn't really complaining about King George, and 5 other surprising facts for July Fourth
  42. Trees are dying of thirst in the Western drought – here’s what’s going on inside their veins
  43. Science denial: Why it happens and 5 things you can do about it
  44. The #BTSSyllabus is a global resource fueled by an ARMY of experts
  45. 'Cheating's OK for me, but not for thee' – inside the messy psychology of sexual double standards
  46. Infrastructure spending has always involved social engineering
  47. Defund the police? Actually, police salaries are rising in departments across the United States
  48. How did the superstition that broken mirrors cause bad luck start and why does it still exist?
  49. Florida condo collapse – searching for answers about what went wrong in Surfside can improve building regulation
  50. The neuroscience behind why your brain may need time to adjust to 'un-social distancing'