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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Saturday, September 23, 2023

Features


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Features

Open dialogues: Conservatism at Tufts

American politics have become vividly polarized in recent years, as “the correlation between party and ideology has really tightened,” according to Tufts’ Professor of Political Science Deborah Schildkraut. 


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Features

New Faculty Profile: Sarah Corrigan explores lamenting and laughing in new special topics course

When she was originally asked to teach Theories of Humor and Laughter at Emerson College, a course intended for aspiring comedians, Harvard Ph.D. candidate Sarah Corrigan felt more than out of place. While she was excited to teach the course, her research centered around modern forms of lament and lamentation; consequently, she wasn’t sure if she was the best fit for the role. 


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Features

Tufts’ Master of Philosophy program promotes philosophical passion, community

“If I could choose one book to bring with me to a desert island, … it would absolutely be Plato’s ‘Republic.’ … I teach it every year, and I still discover new and exciting things, it still makes me think; it is by far my favorite book ever,” said Christiana Olfert, associate professor and director of graduate studies in philosophy at Tufts, who oversees the the top-ranked terminal master’s in philosophy program in the nation according to The Philosophical Gourmet Report. 


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Columns

Liz in London: Sense of home — the little things

Packing up every material good you will need for an entire semester into one large suitcase and a carry-on is stressful. To approach the problem, I made a color-coordinated spreadsheet that masterminded every outfit combination I could make with my given inputs. Needless to say, there was little room for room decorations. My“Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812” poster featuring Josh Groban had to be left behind in Medford. To fill my empty flat, I brought pictures of pets and friends. As I’ve traveled to different countries, postcards have been added to the collage.




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Features

Tufts offers first Southeast Asian history course in two decades

While perusing SIS this fall, you’ll find HIST80: Introduction to the History of Southeast Asia. Taught by Professor Mesrob Vartavarian, the course examines the region’s geography and socio-political development, early European colonization, Western-led globalization and more. However, what the details do not reveal is that HIST80 is the first Southeast Asian history course offered at Tufts in approximately 25 years.


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Columns

Tales from the T: It’s Blue, the T Line I’ve got

There’s a fair chance you’ve never ridden the Blue Line. Linking the West End to Winthrop and Wonderland, it’s the shortest and least busy of the MBTA’s four subway lines. But even for its size, it’s got an interesting backstory that could teach us some lessons on the future of our transportation network.  



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Columns

Liz in London: Less study, more abroad

So far this “study” abroad experience has looked like spending time abroad rather than spending time studying. Compared to Tufts and other U.S. universities, most coursework occurs in 2–3 assignments. On the module (class) registration portal, the weightings are explained: 25% learning log, 25% source analysis, 50% research essay; 20% weekly activities, 15% each midterm, 50% final; 30% prototype, 70% final project. And these are the better-weighted modules. Most of the physics modules were 20% coursework, 80% final. Suddenly the weighting of Sliwa’s final in Physics 11 looks far nicer.


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Features

The future of immigration policy and where universities fit in

As of Sept. 25, 2022, over 25,000 immigrants were being detained in the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and 66.3% of those detained had no criminal record, according to Syracuse University’s TRAC database. Despite these high numbers, U.S. immigration law is an unpopular topic among national news outlets and within pop culture at large.




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Columns

Liz in London: On food and art

While living in Medford this summer, my friends and I excitedly discussed studying and traveling abroad: who knew who in which countries, what airlines were the cheapest to fly across the pond and, most importantly, the food.



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Columns

Sustainability at Tufts: The Eco Reps program

When I first visited Tufts as a senior in high school, I remember running into a group of students who were selling some of their old clothes on the President's Lawn. Not only were the clothes super cool, the prices were also very low. As they explained, this was because all they wanted was to make sure the clothes were going to get reused. They didn’t care about making money or anything. As we walked away, my mother whispered to me that the students here are really weird, and I shouldn’t apply. Obviously, I ignored her and applied anyway.



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Columns

Community Table: Working with Kids

Zach Woods and I had been planning to have this cheese date for weeks. Little did I know that his hometown has a surplus of it. When I brought two pieces of goat cheese, he exclaimed, “I love goat cheese! I’m from the middle of nowhere Texas, but it’s like lots of goat farms and stuff.” 


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Features

Tufts community members reflect on the escalating tension around Taiwan

In the aftermath of China’s August military exercises near Taiwan, Beijing’s message to the world was clear: China will not shy away from challenging the United States, and its military will continue to uphold China's claim to Taiwan. The message suggests that tensions in the region will remain high, with an increasing risk of confrontation between the United States and China.