Here’s an idea: we want our classrooms and campuses to be safe spaces for everyone to be able to learn and explore new concepts and information. That shouldn’t be such a controversial statement, should it? Well, that depends. What does “safe” mean? What does "everyone" mean? Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of the history of education, …
Continue reading Safety first (or not): Jonathan Zimmerman on ideas that offend
Dear Sir. Or Madam. Or, y’know, whatever. Does it matter? For many people, it matters a lot. Ellen Barry, a London-based correspondent for the New York Times, filed this March 2019 report detailing a British newspaper’s controversy around the proper form of addressing letters to the editor. Lest you think that only the Brits would …
Continue reading Dear Sir or Madam: Ellen Barry on gender-specific forms of address
Siri. Alexa. It’s no coincidence that their voices carry easily identifiable traits of a young woman who is business-like yet eager to please. In this February 2019 essay from the NBC News blog Think, cultural historian Lynn Stuart Parramore argues that, as more and more companies introduce “she-bots” of their own, “Big Tech is wiring …
Continue reading To serve and satisfy: Lynn Stuart Parramore on sexist design of digital assistants
We all know that the price tag for college puts a degree out of reach for many people, and for many others, the debt from student loans is very high. Lamar Alexander, US senator from Tennessee and former Secretary of Education under President George H. W. Bush, has a proposal for easing some of the …
Continue reading Easing the burden: Lamar Alexander on financing a college education
As GPS devices and smartphone maps become more popular and ubiquitous, paper maps become harder to find. You might be shrugging your shoulders and asking, So what? Journalism professor Meredith Broussard explains why paper maps still matter in this January 2019 essay in The Conversation. Broussard, “Why paper maps still matter in the digital age” …
Continue reading Folding it up is not the problem: Meredith Broussard on why paper maps still matter
These days it seems that the STEM bandwagon is very full, and why wouldn’t it be, given how important STEM is for employment opportunities and technological advances? Still, there may be areas more important than STEM for the future health of the United States, and education writer Natalie Wexler discusses a few of them in …
Continue reading More than STEM: Natalie Wexler on forming “citizens of a democracy”
Probably very few people would brag about the happy state of political discourse in the US right now. Complaints and squabbles (and more) resound loudly from all directions 24/7, drowning out most of the suggestions and proposals for how we might work our way toward more productive civic engagement. In the midst of the cacophony, …
Continue reading Civility isn’t the answer: Jennifer Mercieca on the state of political discourse
When you think about exports, the first things you probably think of are agricultural products such as corn and soybeans or manufactured items such as trucks or cigarettes. Did college degrees make your list? Not ours, either. Still, journalist Catherine Rampell, who covers public policy and political issues for the Washington Post, argues in this …
We grew up surrounded by commercials, right? On TV, at the movies, on the radio, in newspapers and magazines, on billboards and at sports arenas. So we know when we’re being pitched to. Or do we? Can you spot a paid influencer on your social media feeds? Always? Really? Influencer marketing is a whole new …
Continue reading “Literally like the mafia”: Paris Martineau on influencer marketing
Whether frequently or just once in a while, most of us eat food prepared in restaurants, school dining halls, or fast food places rather than our own kitchens. How much do you know about the work involved in getting your meal into your hands? How are the workers treated and compensated? In this August 2018 …
Continue reading Here’s a tip: Spencer Robins on wages and conditions for restaurant workers
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