Arts & Sciences

Frank K. FlinnIn November, California citizens passed Proposition 8 upholding the idea that marriage is defined as and limited to the union of one man with one woman. The vote has given encouragement to many in other states who want to pass similar legislation. The United States is about to enter a period of legal upheaval on the question of marriage in the civil law, suggests Frank K. Flinn, Ph.D., adjunct professor of religious studies in Arts & Sciences. His proposal? Give marriage to the churches and let the state define civil unions.

Today, scales are plain, but in the 19th century, they were garbed in polished wood and semi-precious stones.Stepping onto a scale after a calorie-filled holiday season isn’t an activity many 21st-century Americans relish. But in the late 19th century, scales were all the rage at festive gatherings — the 1800s’ answer to Guitar Hero. “A family would think it fun to weigh themselves before and after a big holiday dinner to see how much they had gained,” said Deborah I. Levine, Ph.D. “Knowing your weight was a novelty, a kind of parlor trick, before scales became widely available through mass production.”

TrinkausNew research published by Erik Trinkaus, Ph.D., professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences, establishes a late persistence of Neadertals in southwestern Europe some 40,000 years ago. The research sheds light on what were probably the last Neandertals on earth.

As President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill key cabinet positions from the ranks of D.C.-based public policy think tanks, a new book by longtime policy adviser Murray Weidenbaum examines how the nation’s top think tanks came to play such critical roles in U.S. politics.

Using what cognitive psychologists are discovering in the laboratory to improve learning in the classroom is the goal of a $6.47 million collaborative activity grant to Washington University from the James S. McDonnell Foundation.

Since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” has become the best-selling novel of all time and is perhaps the most widely read book exploring race in the United States. In January, Edison Theatre will join forces with Metro Theater Company, St. Louis’ foremost professional troupe for young people, to stage an […]

In January, “To Kill a Mockinbird” will serve as centerpiece of a National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program. Coordinated by Washington University, the program will feature dozens of lectures, readings, art exhibits, theater productions, book discussions, film festivals and other events exploring the themes of Harper Lee’s novel.

Washington University is in the spotlight for its pivotal role in the Genomics Education Partnership, a collaborative effort to provide research experience in genomics to undergraduate classrooms across the country.

Elizabeth K. Barry, a first-year student in Arts & Sciences, died Dec. 8 in her room in Rubelmann House residence hall on the Danforth Campus. Barry, of Homewood, Ill., was 19.

Harper LeeWith its appealing evocation of childhood and powerful call for tolerance and social justice, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the rare American novel that can be discovered in adolescence yet rewards adult re-reading. In January the book will serve as centerpiece of a National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program. Coordinated by Washington University, the program will feature dozens of lectures, readings, art exhibits, theater productions, book discussions, film festivals and other events exploring the themes of Lee’s novel.