Category: Inquiry
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Exploring the Relationship Between Religiosity and Attitudes Toward Abortion in America
Among the sea of topics and issues that are frequently discussed and debated in the United States, abortion is currently one of the most heated arguments that has been raging for years on the internet, in debates, and even in the Supreme Court. In the light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973…
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Screens and Solitude: The Impact of Media Consumption on Loneliness and Connection
During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Times bestselling author Morgan Jerkins turned to heartwarming films from her childhood. She was “reminded of the power of the imagination and the preciousness of experiencing life as a child. [She is] also reminded that no matter how old one gets, there is still a child in there somewhere”…
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Taking the Bottle
This was the fourth hospital our family had gone to in two weeks. The first was because my dad had to get cancer treatments. The second was my post-surgery check-up. The third and fourth were for my brother and his wife’s daughters, twins that were born about three months early. They had been rushed into…
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The Complexity of True Crime as Entertainment
In 2011, Indiana University student Lauren Spierer went missing. Though I was young when it happened, I vividly remember being interested and involved in her case—my parents volunteered in search parties, we prayed and fasted for her and her family, and we saw the missing posters up across town for years. Everyone in Bloomington was…
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A Tale of Two Tongues: The Cognitive Benefits of Bilingualism
When I think back to my childhood, I can still hear the singsong rhythm of French music echoing in the kitchen. I was eight then, tracing unfamiliar words across the pages of my textbook, the smell of my dad’s crêpes sweetening the air. My little brother, still in diapers, tried to babble along, too young…
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How American History and Media have Shaped the Public’s View of the Israel-Hamas War
Back in my hometown of Columbia, Missouri, I had a very diverse friend group. Some of my friends were Arabic, and we would frequently discuss religion, culture, and other differing aspects of our lives. It was almost always lighthearted. No one came away from any conversation feeling heated or being angry at one another. One…
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AI Art and Creativity
In 2018, a portrait entitled Edmond de Belamy, from La Famille de Belamy sold for $432,500, nearly five times more than the buying price of the Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein pieces that were present at the same auction. The sale sparked controversy, as this portrait was created entirely by the French AI art program…