By Jonathan Wynn Campuses are being torn apart due to the Israel-Hamas war. Students are protesting, getting arrested on campuses, and being threatened. While acknowledging that there are unspeakable horrors of war happening across the globe, it can still be... Continue reading

Scott Hildreth is Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Chabot College, retiring from the full-time faculty next spring after 35 years.  He’s worked with NASA on numerous projects, from writing about the first images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, to analyzing the latest pictures from the James... Continue reading

The current war in Gaza emerges from a long history of conflict between Israel and Palestine. António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, makes a plea for peace in this op-ed, which was also published in the New York Times on October 13, 2023. In this piece, he urges the international community as well as Israelis and Palestinians to consider “the pull of collective memory” that shapes how people understand and discuss the conflict. António Guterres, "Why Israel Must Reconsider Its Gaza Evacuation Order," The United Nations: The Question of Palestine, www.un.org, 13 October 2023. What is motivating... Continue reading

Stacy Palen Image Credit: Zac Williams I know just how difficult it can be to stand in front of a large classroom of diverse students — most there just to fulfill a credit requirement—and wonder how you will facilitate their learning. My college, Weber State University in Utah, is an... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer The history of the places we live matters. From the infrastructure that provides access to roads, water, sewer systems, and utilities, often built long before we live someplace, to things like nearby schools and hospitals, where we... Continue reading

By Stacy Torres The good things of prosperity are to be wished; but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired. –Seneca, Letters to Lucilius (28 CE) Whenever I think about the winding path that led to... Continue reading

By Jonathan Wynn I have a book coming out in a few weeks on hospitals and their communities. One of my co-authors and I are hoping to write an op-ed that will bring some of the knowledge from the book... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer Like many people, I’m not typically excited to go to the dentist, but I appreciate having the ability to do so, especially after reading Mary Otto’s book Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for... Continue reading

By Colby R. King, Marisela Martinez-Cola (Assistant Professor, Morehouse College), Mary L. Scherer (Assistant Professor, Sam Houston State University), Robert Francis (Assistant Professor, Whitworth University), and Myron T. Strong People from working-class and first-generation-to-college backgrounds have a lot to contribute... Continue reading

By Stacy Torres “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” said Mark Twain. And history is once again rhyming in the current migrant crisis. The most visible consequences of our broken immigration system have unfolded on New York City... Continue reading

By Alice Wilson, PhD Student, University of York (UK) Capitalism is amazingly good at devouring the things that would seek to challenge it, then packaging that same thing up and selling it back to people through its own market tendrils.... Continue reading

Lots of people are understandably nervous about AI technologies, from concerns about biased algorithms and data privacy to worries about how generative AI writing technologies might change the ways people write and what students learn. Frankly, it can all feel overwhelming. So, what should instructors and students do about generative AI writing technologies? In this essay, Sidney I. Dobrin, a professor of English, argues for a way forward and explains why he thinks it’s futile to ignore or ban generative AI writing technologies in the classroom. Sidney I. Dobrin, "Generative AI Bots Will Change How We Write Forever—and That’s a... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer While I’m only an occasional user of social media, a few years ago I noticed that an acquaintance began posting much more frequently, often self-helpy posts encouraging people to seize the day, believe in themselves, and generally... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer In addition to travel itself, I enjoy travel planning. One of the first things that I usually do is figure out when to go, how to get there, and how to get around once I am there.... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer I recently had an embarrassing tourist experience. While on a hike in the Bavarian Alps, we had a choice of how to exit the trail: through a popular gorge, which would take about 90 minutes with a... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer Last year, I wrote about popular attractions in the French and Swiss Alps, focusing on how the privatization of nature makes ultra-scenic spots all but off limits for those without the means to pay to enjoy them.... Continue reading

Free college? No thanks, writes electrician and author Skylar Adleta. Adleta explains why he believes proposals to make college tuition-free ignore the concerns of many in the working class. He argues that more employers should drop degree requirements for positions where “working experience can suffice.” Skylar Adleta, "Free College Will Only Deepen the Class Divide: How About Respect For the Working Class?"Newsweek, 19 June 2023 How does Adleta define “the American Dream?” How was the recommended path to achieving the dream different from the one he took? According to Adleta, how could free college create further class division? Do you... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer I’m a sucker for an old town when I’m traveling, and based on the crowds I regularly find on these visits, I am not alone. Old towns hold out the promise of a walk into history and... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer I recently visited what is arguably the beer capital of the world, Munich, Germany. I’m not a beer drinker, even casually, but the cultural meanings people create surrounding beer interest me. Through many ads and signs, it... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer As a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember waiting to be seated at a restaurant. There were occasionally vending machines for candy, gum, and even cigarettes in the waiting area. While cigarette vending machines were... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer There’s really no such thing as good spam. I’m talking about the email variety of spam, not the canned pork from which unsolicited emails got their name (see this Monty Python sketch for its origin). Emails claiming... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer It’s not hard to find stories decrying social media. From concerns about mental health, bullying and eating disorders, wasting time, and spreading misinformation, the presumptive “harm” of social media has become taken for granted, especially where young... Continue reading

In May 2023, Hollywood production ground to a halt as the Writers Guild of America, a union representing over 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike. One major contention these writers have is how they are compensated for the shows and movies people watch on streaming platforms. Underneath this issue, though, lies a bigger question, one that screenwriter Michael Russell Gunn explores in this essay: how do AI technologies threaten not just Hollywood but “the future of human work”? Michael Russell Gunn, "I'm a Hollywood Screenwriter. This Is Why Our Strike Matters to You. BU Today, Boston University, 4 May 2023 What... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer Earlier this year I booked a flight using frequent flier miles that ended up costing me about $20 total (a good deal on this route is typically at least $200). Needless to say, I was pretty excited... Continue reading

By Karen Sternheimer Three years ago, Todd Schoepflin wrote about his love of baseball and its sociological significance. As a father of young players, he noted its absence during the pandemic-related shutdown of 2020. Because of its interdependence, the way... Continue reading