Why Grad Students Unionize
The graduate student union movement is a fight by low-paid workers to get more money and better benefits.
How Thomas Paine Marketed the Revolution
Thomas Paine's Common Sense presented the case for American independence in a way that spoke to the average person.
Suggested Readings: Tomboys, Rumi, and Why Kids Are Like Aristotle
Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Cosmopolitanism (and Racism) at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition celebrated intercultural connections, but also reduced non-white cultures to quaint attractions.
When Russia Conquered the World with White Oil
Russia was the first source of white oil, a Vaseline-like mix of hydrocarbons used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and plastics.
The Secrets of Diamonds
Diamonds are sparkly. Diamonds are expensive. But diamonds are more than bling—they tell us a lot about the earth, itself.
Voodoo and the Work of Zora Neale Hurston
Author Zora Neale Hurston, born on January 7, 1891, is perhaps best known for Their Eyes Were Watching ...
How the Netherlands Used Literature to Defy the Nazis
A new theory sheds light not only on the fate of the Franks, but on the extent of Dutch resistance to the Nazis.
The Dangerous Lessons Kindergarteners Learn About Being “Smart”
Kids develop images of themselves as "smart" or "not smart" at very young ages.