Humanities & Society

As the St. Louis community grapples with recent events in the nearby suburb of Ferguson, Mo., a number of Washington University in St. Louis faculty members are offering their expertise, commentary and insight in hopes of promoting constructive dialogue on a number of challenging issues.​​

Coach Larry Kindbom and 12 members of the Bears football team hiked up Pikes Peak this summer — just because it was there. What has become an annual summer ritual for the senior members of the squad also turns into a rich life experience.

Women tend to outperform men when it comes to collaboration and creativity in small working groups, but force teams to go head to head in highly competitive environments and the benefits of a female approach are soon reversed, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

The electric car charging station in front of Brauer and Whitaker halls on the Washington University in St. Louis campus is now getting a boost from the sun after workers installed solar panels atop the structure July 30. In addition to bolstering the university’s commitment to sustainability, the station is connected to research in its School of Engineering & Applied Science.​

The Lofts of Washington University, a new $80-million mixed-use development, brings green architecture, new residents and, at last, a grocery store to the Delmar Loop. On Saturday, Aug. 23, some 400 Washington University in St. Louis undergraduates will move into The Lofts’ 167 fully furnished three-bedroom, two-bedroom and efficiency apartments.

Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is set to expire Oct. 1, 2015, unless Congress intervenes — a move that is essential for millions of Amerian children, says a Washington University in St. Louis faculty expert on child well-being.

Young people express strong support for marriage equality, but believe the push for same-sex marriage has diverted too much attention from other important issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, suggests a new national survey by researchers at the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis.

Washington University researchers have found that courses intended to better prepare high school graduates for college also drive some students to drop out. They report that policies increasing the number of required math and science courses are linked to a higher dropout rate.

Young adults who were breastfed for three months or more as babies have a significantly lower risk of chronic inflammation associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, according to research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

A bill introduced July 28 in the U.S. House of Representatives would amend the controlled substances act – the federal law that criminalizes marijuana – to exempt plants with an extremely low level of THC, the part of marijuana that makes users high. Following closely on the heels of a call by the New York Times editorial board for the federal government to legalize marijuana, this could mark a turning point of sorts in the campaign for legalization. Gregory P. Magarian, professor of law, sees two reasons for leaving states with some power over the criminal law of marijuana.