The Conversation

Textbooks in the digital world

Written by Kui Xie, Cyphert Distinguished Professor of Learning Technologies; Director of The Research Laboratory for Digital Learning, The Ohio State University

Ella Russell, a second grade student at Jamestown Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, works on an e-book during class.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

For decades, textbooks were seen as the foundation for instruction in American schools. These discipline-specific tomes were a fundamental part of the educational infrastructure, assigned to students...

Cash is falling out of fashion – will it disappear forever?

Written by Bhaskar Chakravorti, Senior Associate Dean, International Business & Finance, Tufts University

An Indian man displays new currency notes of 2,000 Indian rupee.AP Photo/Ajit Solanki

On June 27, the ATM turns 50. Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker once described it as the “only useful innovation in banking.” But today, the cash that ATMs dispense may be on the endangered list.

Cash is being displaced in so many ways...

Women in horror: Victims no more

Written by Beth Younger, Associate Professor of English & Women's and Gender Studies, Drake University

Aleshyn_Andrei/Shutterstock.com

At the end of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, actress Jessica Chastain – who was serving as a jury member – said that she found the portrayals of women in the festival’s films “quite disturbing.”

To many, this isn’t exactly news. The lack of women in film – in front...

A pair of decades-old policies may change the way rural America gets local news

Written by Christopher Ali, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, University of Virginia

What will be left of rural television stations?Dual Freq, CC BY-SA

While Americans were distracted by the very important public debates around an open internet and the proliferation of fake news online, the Federal Communications Commission quietly proposed reshaping a key way rural Americans stay informed – their local television news.

Two...

What do protests about Harry Potter books teach us?

Written by Trisha Tucker, Assistant Professor of Writing, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

What justifies keeping some books out of the hands of young readers?Sodanie Chea, CC BY

On Monday, June 26, 2017, Harry James Potter – the world’s most famous wizard – will celebrate his 20th birthday. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a favorite Harry Potter novel or rewatching one of the blockbuster films....

The Supreme Court takes on gerrymandering: 6 essential reads

Written by Aviva Rutkin, Big Data and Applied Mathematics Editor, The Conversation

Wisconsin from overhead.sarunas_b/flickr, CC BY-SA

Editor’s note: The following is roundup of archival stories.

On June 19, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would hear Gill v. Whitford, a case on partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin.

This controversial practice – where states are carved up into oddly shaped electoral districts...

30 years after Edwards v. Aguillard: Why creationism lingers in public schools

Written by John E. Taylor, Professor of Law, West Virginia University

In 2013, pro-science supporters rallied before a Texas Board of Education public hearing on proposed new science textbooks.AP Photo/Eric Gay

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Edwards v. Aguillard, a groundbreaking case that ruled it unconstitutional to require creationism to be taught in public...

On Eid 2017, a peek into the lives of Puerto Rican Muslims

Written by Ken Chitwood, Ph.D. Candidate, Religion in the Americas, Global Islam, University of Florida

Muslims praying in Puerto Rico.AP Photo/Tomas van Houtryve

For Juan, Ramadan is a balancing act. On the one hand is his religious faith and practice. On the other is his land, his culture, his home – Puerto Rico.

Although he weaves these two elements of his identity together in many ways, during Ramadan the borderline between them becomes...

What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past

Written by Simon Haeder, Assistant Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University

Larissa Pisney of Denver protests outside the Aurora, Colorado offices of Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) to show her displeasure with efforts to dismantle the ACA. David Zalubowski/AP

After much secrecy and no public deliberation, Senate Republicans finalized release their “draft” repeal and replace bill for the Affordable Care Act on...

People keep voting in support of the death penalty. So how can we end it?

Written by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Signatures were collected to put the death penalty on the 2016 Nebraska ballot.AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Ending the death penalty in the United States won’t be easy.

After death penalty abolitionists slowly pushed toward its elimination for years, supporters of state killing have mounted a fierce effort in the courts and at the ballot box and...