Read two differing arguments about whether Confederate statues should be removed from public places. Remember to analyze the authors’ reasoning and supporting evidence.
Tag Archives: Opinion
Education Innovation in the Slums
In this video, education researcher Charles Leadbeater argues that more disruptive innovation and informal settings will improve the aging education system in both developed and deveoping nations.
Hashtag activism is fleeting
Columbia University graduate student Nick Donias argues that protest movements must move beyond slogans and hashtags in order to affect long-term change.
Extracting the Woodchuck
In this biographical essay, literary critic Adam Kirsch argues that Robert Frost led a kind of double life that was necessary to create his acclaimed poetry.
Should parents let their kids take more risks?
It’s easy to criticize parents who allow a teenager to attempt to sail around the world alone. But how safe is too safe when it comes to parenting?
The Science—and Art—of Taking Risks
This article offers tips for contructive risk-taking.
A New Wrinkle on School Uniforms
An advice columnist weighs in on whether school uniforms deny students an opportunity to express themselves.
William Ury: The Walk from “No” to “Yes”
Noted mediator William Ury describes the “third side,” a technique for resolving conflict in trouble spots such as the Middle East.
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs tells graduating students that the key to his success was finding out what he loved.
Wonder Woman and the Importance of the Female Hero Moment
What makes a summer blockbuster movie something more than mere entertainment? Read one writer’s opinion.
Sorry to ask but … do women apologize more than men?
CNN correspondent Kelly Wallace discusses her use of the word “sorry, ” as well as its use in society in general.
Thank Your Taxes
Law professor Adam Chodorow argues that a series of tax disputes is what eventually led to the formation of the United States.
On the Bard’s birthday, is Shakespeare still relevant?
How can Shakespeare still be relevant in the age of the smartphone? Alexandra Petri takes a light-hearted view in this opinion piece.
5 Ways to Listen Better
What conflicts can you think of that happened because someone simply didn’t listen? People who tune out others’ ideas or hear only what they want or expect to hear can’t understand others or the world around them. In this TED Talk, sound expert Julian Treasure provides five tips for conscious, careful listening.
Millennial pink is exposing our culture’s worst anxieties about “girly stuff”
Author Sady Doyle argues that pink, whether feminine or not, is simply a flattering and pleasing color that has been popular throughout time.
Maybe Your Comfort Zone Isn’t What You Think It Is
Psychologist Sarah Newman makes a distinction between avoiding things you fear and avoiding things you simply don’t like.
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal – review
Professor Matthew Cobb reviews primatologist Frans de Waal’s book, in which he attempts to erase a behavioral division between humans and other animals.
To Overcome the Fear of Failure, Fear This Instead
After talking to many successful entrepreneurs, professor and author Adam Grant found that they feared failing to act more than failing itself.
The Fertility and Futility of Hatred
Cultural anthropologist Janice Harper argues that expressing hatred is self-destructive.
Why Reconstruction Matters
Columbia University history professor Eric Foner argues that Reconstruction ended before it could become truly successful, and he draws parallels to current affairs.