Perspectives

Students from Arts & Sciences who participated in a year-long FOCUS program on the Holocaust reflect in a video and an exhibit on what they learned, both on campus and during a trip to historic sites in Europe.

Barbara Schaal, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, writes for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in its journal Science that scientific evidence must be valued in policy decisions. “Scientists, as always, need to stand firm on the value and importance of science for society,” writes Schaal, president of AAAS.

Congressional expert Steven Smith, of Arts & Sciences, writes a commentary in Fortune about how Senate Republicans’ and Democrats’ handling of President Donald Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court could have long-term consequences for how it conducts business.

Divya Ravindranath, a doctoral student in the Brown School and a McDonnell Scholar, writes a commentary in Economic & Political Weekly about the plight of Indian women who accompany spouses with skilled worker visas to the U.S.

Abram Van Engen, of Arts & Sciences, argues in an essay for the online journal Religion & Politics that many journalists covering Betsy DeVos’ nomination to be education secretary have conflated valid concerns about her experience and political beliefs with questionable assumptions about her religious background.

Julie Moreau, a postdoctoral researcher in Arts & Sciences, argues in an article on the NBC Out website that if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as Republican leaders have pledged to do, LGBTQ individuals could face more harm than other people.

Sowande’ Mustakeem, of Arts & Sciences, writes on the Center for the Humanities site about Nate Parker’s film “The Birth of a Nation,” the controversy surrounding the director’s personal life and the merits of considering the film’s portrayals of slavery.

Attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions’ distrust of those who don’t believe in God is a perspective with a long history in the U.S., writes Leigh Schmidt, the Edward C. Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in the Humanities, for The Conversation.

Presidential historian Peter Kastor, of Arts & Sciences, writes in The Conversation about how President Donald Trump ushered in a new era for the American presidency, and how Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had more in common than you might think.

Pannill Camp, of the Performing Arts Department, discusses the Masons and the significance of secret rituals in the context of 18th-century drama for a “Hold That Thought” podcast from Arts & Sciences.