Perspectives

Noah Cohan, of Arts & Sciences, writes on the Center for the Humanities website about the movie “Race,” which tells the story of African-American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. Cohan argues the film offers an oversimplified, feel-good story that avoids a tough examination of racism then and now.

Provost Holden Thorp writes that while support systems are valuable, the way to make St. Louis, or other places, a great city for startups is to have great startup companies.

Monica Lim and Michael Collins, Danforth Scholars from the Class of 2018, reflect on spending their spring break at home — experiencing St. Louis in ways that both challenged and inspired them.

When you look at a painting by Claude Monet or Pablo Picasso, what do you really see? Mark Rollins, professor of philosophy and director of the Performing Arts Department, shares his fascination with both cognitive science and visual art for an Arts & Sciences’ “Hold That Thought” podcast.  

Anthropologist John Bowen’s new book, “On British Islam,” examines the history and everyday workings of Islamic institutions in Britain, with a focus on shari‘a councils.

Theodore Cicero and Matthew Ellis, of the School of Medicine, write for The Conversation that policy changes on treating pain fueled the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse.

Inequality expert Mark Rank, of the Brown School, co-wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about his latest work, a calculator in which people can determine their risk of falling into poverty, and what the data tell us.

What happens in your brain when you successfully set and then reach a goal without getting distracted during the pursuit? Todd Braver, professor of psychology and of neuroscience, discusses his cognitive control research for Arts & Sciences’ “Hold That Thought” podcast.

Shanti Parikh, of Arts & Sciences, has a new book, “Regulating Romance,” that uses youth love letters to explore the anxieties around romance, sexuality and generational change in the midst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda.

Sociologist David Cunningham, of Arts & Sciences, writes an op-ed in The Washington Post about the Ku Klux Klan’s role in national politics, both historically and today. He is the author of “Klansville, U.S.A.: The Rise and Fall of the Civil Rights-Era Ku Klux Klan.”