In France, a parliamentary commission will soon meet to investigate whether to ban any cloak that covers most of the face. WUSTL anthropology professor John Bowen, who wrote "Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State and Public Space," has been asked to testify by the parliamentary commission.

References:

1. Sept. 1, 2009 — Burqa Furor Scrambles French Politics in the The New York Times

and 2 others.

Sharon Begley reports on new data in the debate on neurobiology and whether we are wired to believe in God.
In a paper last month in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, Gregory Paul posits that, rather than being wired into the brain, religion is a way to cope with stress in a dysfunctional society -- the opium-of-the-people argument.
She mentions research by WUSTL anthropology professor Pascal Boyer.

References:

1. Aug. 13, 2009 — (Un)wired For God in the Newsweek

Story on James von Brunn, the accused 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past, who opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself. According to a relative, von Brunn attended WUSTL and is an artist.

References:

1. June 10, 2009 — Gunman shoots, kills guard at Holocaust Museum in the Associated Press

and 51 others.

Nancy Benac reports on Obama's Cairo speech in which he tried to explain the American mindset to Muslims and the world of Islam to Americans. Various experts comment on the speech, including WUSTL presidential rhetoric specialist Wayne Fields.

References:

1. June 6, 2009 — Analysis: Obama tries evenhanded approach in the Associated Press

and 51 others.

Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

References:

1. March 27, 2009 — States rebel against Washington in the The Christian Science Monitor

The "War on Terror" is losing the war of words. The catchphrase burned into the American lexicon hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is fading away, slowly if not deliberately being replaced by a new administration bent on repairing the U.S. image among Muslim nations. Includes comments by WUSTL English and American culture studies professor Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

References:

1. Feb. 1, 2009 — Under Obama, 'war on terror' catchphrase fading in the Associated Press

and 18 others.

Examining the Bush legacy, which won't be an easy one for future historians to assess. While most unsuccessful presidencies involved presidents who were considered captives of events, unable to muster effective responses, Bush's was one of bold strokes that, for better or worse, will be debated for a long time. WUSTL law professor Rebecca Dresser, who serves on the President's Council on Bioethics, comments on the stem cell research decision.

References:

1. Jan. 12, 2009 — The Bush Legacy in the The Boston Globe

Article looks at how Pope Benedict XVI is trying to mend fences within the church, with other churches, and with Muslims and Jews.
WUSTL religious studies professor Frank Flinn comments.

References:

1. April 17, 2008 — The Vatican on Muslims and Jews in the U.S. News & World Report online

Missouri has an uncanny ability to choose presidential winners, going with the loser only once in the past century (Adlai Stevenson in 1956). The state is effectively an intersection of cultural forces — urban and rural, north and south, east and west — and it periodically swings with prevailing national moods.
WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields comments.

References:

1. Feb. 7, 2008 — Missouri vote signals complex national mood in the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune magazine story on the conflict between Darwin and theology. Ursula Goodenough professor of biology comments on the conflict.

References:

1. Jan. 20, 2008 — The New Theology in the Chicago Tribune magazine

WUSTL political rhetoric specialist Wayne Fields is one of the experts commenting on victory speeches following the Iowa presidential caucuses.

References:

1. Jan. 5, 2008 — Huckabee oratory deemed 'low-key,' Obama's classic in the The Boston Globe

In 1984 and again in 1999, the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most eminent scientific organization, produced books on the evidence supporting the theory of evolution and arguing against the introduction of creationism or other religious alternatives in public school science classes. Barbara A. Schaal, a vice president of the academy and an evolutionary biologist at WUSTL, comments on the third volume recently published.

References:

1. Jan. 4, 2008 — Evolution Book Sees No Science-Religion Gap in the The New York Times

and 6 others.

Parents across Long Island are asking questions these days as they help pack their children's belongings or accompany them to campuses across the country. Their minds are filled with questions about crime and campus security, communicating with their students, finances, academics, social life, and separation anxiety.
One of the experts commenting is Karen Levin Coburn, WUSTL's associate dean for freshman transition and co-author of Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years.

References:

1. Aug. 19, 2007 — Back to Campus: Parental Anxiety 101 -- What moms and dads need to know in the Newsday (NY)

Writer looks at the popularity of the best seller "The Secret" and the history of the New Thought movement.
WUSTL religious studies professor Frank Flinn comments.

References:

1. June 25, 2007 — "The Secret" Draws on Long Tradition in the Associated Press Online

and 57 others.

A recent survey by AARP found that nearly 70 percent of adult children have not talked to their parents about issues related to aging. Some children avoid this most intimate of conversations because they believe their parents don't want to talk. Others think they know what their parents want.
WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter is one of the experts offering advice.

References:

1. June 10, 2007 — How to Talk About Aging in the Newsweek

A New York Times Magazine cover story examines controversial theories about the existence of God and what some call the scientific assault on religion that has been garnering attention recently.
But lost in the hullabaloo over the neo-atheists is a quieter and potentially more illuminating debate. It is taking place not between science and religion but within science itself, specifically among the scientists studying the evolution of religion.
One of the scientists mentioned is WUSTL anthropology professor Pascal Boyer.

References:

1. March 4, 2007 — Darwin's God in the The New York Times Magazine

Psychologists and anthropologists have typically turned to faith healers, tribal cultures or New Age spiritualists to study the underpinnings of belief in superstition or magical powers. But new research demonstrates that habits of so-called magical thinking -- wishing harm on an enemy -- are far more common than people acknowledge.
These habits have little to do with religious faith, but magical thinking underlies a vast, often unseen universe of small rituals that accompany people through every waking hour of a day.
WUSTL psychology and anthropology professor Pascal Boyer comments.

References:

1. Jan. 23, 2007 — Do You Believe in Magic? in the The New York Times
2. March 4, 2007 — Darwin's God in the The New York Times Magazine

and 1 others.

Article on the increasingly common attack fare in news releases from political operatives desperate to spin news coverage to their advantage.
WUSTL political rhetoric expert Wayne Fields, who directs the American Culture Studies program, says these tactics threaten to drain the substance out of political debate.

References:

1. July 25, 2006 — Political pros sharpen their knives in press release wars in the Associated Press State & Local Wire

and 5 others.

Editorial responds to a recent series in the Spanish-language New York newspaper El Diario/La Prensa sheds some light on a mostly overlooked national phenomenon, the misunderstood and endangered young Latina, who represents one of the fastest-growing segments of the American population. Hispanic teenage girls attempt suicide more often than any other group. A five-year study now in its second year in New York is being led by WUSTL social work and psychiatry professor Luis Zayas, who says the self-destructive behavior seems to affect Latinas of every origin and every region of the country.

References:

1. July 21, 2006 — Editorial: Young Latinas and a Cry for Help in the The New York Times

Several hundred Parisians gathered at City Hall yesterday to pay tribute to a French army captain, Alfred Dreyfus,who was convicted wrongly of treason in a trial that divided France more than a century ago. Anti-Semitism and assimilation are still controversial subjects in France today. WUSTL anthropology professor John Bowen comments.

References:

1. July 7, 2006 — Secularism, the French & Alfred Dreyfus in the The New York Sun