Society & Culture
Three things you didn’t know about the American Revolution
America typically celebrates the 4th of July as a unifying victory for the country, but the road to independence was more divisive and violent than most people realize, according to historian Thomas Slaughter.
Celebrating 59 Days of Independence
In their 59 Days of Independence project, artist and senior lecturer Heather Layton and Brian Bailey ‘09W (PhD) invite people around the world to celebrate the independence of countries other than their own. “By recognizing someone else’s independence, you’re showing that you care about his or her well-being in the same way you care about your own,” says Layton.
When it comes to learning numbers, culture counts
The findings of a new study suggest that number learning is a fundamental process that follows a universal pathway. However, the timing of the process depends on a child’s environment.
‘Vital signs’ of teaching captured by quick, reliable in-class evaluation
A 20-minute classroom assessment that is less subjective than traditional in-class evaluations by principals can reliably measure classroom instruction and predict student standardized test scores.
Experts on Brazil discuss the World Cup from a historical lens
As Brazil kicks off the World Cup, more than the tournament outcome is at stake, according to historians Pablo Sierra and Molly Ball of the University of Rochester. The husband-and-wife team have developed a course, “History of Latin America through Soccer,” that will be taught for the first time this fall at Rochester.
Curt Smith critiques plans for the Obama library
As the June 16 deadline for bids for the library approaches, universities in Chicago, Honolulu, and New York City have expressed interest in housing the Barack Obama Presidential library. Curt Smith offers strong views about the three leading contenders vying for the project.
New book aims to bridge gap between research, policy, practice in classroom
Kara Finnigan, associate professor at the Warner School and education policy expert, and her co-authors argue strongly for the value and use of research evidence in this era of education reform.
New book explores awkward moments in film and media
Films like This is Spinal Tap have built large followings around their use of awkward and cringeworthy comedy. But according to Jason Middleton, assistant professor of English and director of the film and media studies program, the use of staged “awkwardness” extends far beyond the domain of contemporary popular culture and into the earliest days of filmmaking.
Symposium explores trouble with ‘Post-Blackness’
The Humanities Project presents a symposium in which 16 distinguished scholars will discuss what it means to be black in the 21st century.
Video gamers’ aggression linked to frustration, not violent content
The disturbing imagery of videos games are often accused of fostering feelings of aggression in players. But a new study shows hostile behavior is linked to gamers’ experiences of failure and frustration during play—not to a game’s violent content.
