Finding an American “We” after 9/11: Religion, Ritual, and Belonging
Dr. Nathan S. French Miami University Picture, for a moment, a response to a tragic event. Often, we will see people post online about their […]
Uncategorized
One Nation, Under Curriculum? Thomas Jefferson, Noah Webster, and Debating Civic Education
Nathan S. French & Kenlea Barnes, Miami University Imagine walking into two American public school classrooms today. In the first classroom, students study histories of […]
A student & teacher perspective on teen summer job loss: The Summer of Unemployment and its effect on high schoolers.
In collaboration with Mr. Aaron Parker & Queen Mugeni Recent estimations by the outplacement firm Challenger, Grey & Christmas predict the summer of 2026 to […]
What does an “American Pope” teach us about democracy?
Dr. Nathan A. French What might the papacy of Pope Leo XIV invite us to ask about U.S. history, Catholicism, citizenship, and religious freedom? The […]
Sports, speech, and the Olympics: the real story is how we cover it
Kathrine Nero The Olympics are supposed to be the world’s easiest storyline. A flag and a uniform. A start line and a finish. A medal […]
Democracy isn’t (March) Madness
Kathrine Nero It’s March, which means millions of Americans are confidently predicting outcomes of games that haven’t been played yet. We study the seeds. We […]
The ‘Stars’ in American Democracy: Spiritualism, Astrology, and U.S. History
Nathan S. French, Associate Professor of Religion & International Studies, Miami University What might stars have to do with American democracy? Perhaps you thought of the 50 stars symbolizing […]
The countdown to 250: Rethinking civic pride before America’s big birthday
Kathrine Nero America’s about to throw a birthday party — a big one. In 2026, the country turns 250, and while the word “semiquincentennial” doesn’t […]
Ready to talk turkey? Tips for tackling tough holiday conversations when politics shows up before the pie
Kathrine Nero In this episode, Kathrine Nero and Lauryn Howery discuss ways to talk turkey, not politics, this Thanksgiving! There’s a chill in the air, […]
Deepfakes and AI are rewriting the rules of truth
Kathrine Nero Chances are within the last few days you’ve seen an image or a video you weren’t quite sure was real. Is it artificial […]