Wheat People vs. Rice People
Source: The New York Times
Anthropologist T.M. Luhrmann analyzes the independence and interdependence displayed in different cultures.
Opinion
How Jonathan Swift Attacked Fake News
Source: The Daily Beast
In the 1720s and 1730s, author Jonathan Swift used satire to protest social injustices, balancing facts with absurdity.
What Animals Taught Me About Being Human
Source: The New York Times
Helen Macdonald, author of the best-selling memoir H is for Hawk, wonders about the desires and needs of animals. She suggests we can only imagine what they can be through our own lens of human experience.
Mind Ablaze
Source: The New York Times
Critic Jayne Anne Phillips outlines Stephen Crane’s life as she reviews Stephen Crane: A Life of Fire, a 2014 biography of the American author written by Paul Sorrentino.
3 Reasons Why Chinese Workers Were the MVP’s on the Transcontinental Railroad
Source: Medium
Chinese immigrants made significant contributions to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Completed in 1869, their work went largely unrecognized at the time.
Are we raising a generation of nature-phobic kids?
Source: Los Angeles Times
James Campbell, author of Braving It: A Father, A Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild, discusses scientific research that shows children have become more afraid of being outside and argues that parents should take their kids out into nature.
Measuring Success in the Game of Life
Source: Psychology Today
Po Chi Wu, a professor of entrepeneurship and innovation at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, asks how to define success and whether that definition requires people to compare themselves to others.
PRO AND CON: Should Confederate monuments be removed?
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Read two differing arguments about whether Confederate statues should be removed from public places. Remember to analyze the authors’ reasoning and supporting evidence.
Education Innovation in the Slums
Source: TED
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
Source: The Baltimore Sun
Columbia University graduate student Nick Donias argues that protest movements must move beyond slogans and hashtags in order to affect long-term change.