Since 2010, post-Communist Hungary has been Exhibit A in the annals of democratic backsliding into competitive authoritarianism. A facade of democracy has been erected in Hungary, masking a repressive and illiberal government, which has subsequently spread to other countries in the region.
Last summer, SpaceX made history when it launched the first manned mission to space on a privately owned spacecraft, the Crew Dragon. What does this mean for the future of space travel? Private companies have more capital to work with, and often more ambitious ideas. One of SpaceX’s current projects is Starship, a massive reusable spacecraft, which Musk has claimed is intended to aid in the human settlement of Mars — a much more ambitious goal than that of NASA’s Artemis program.
This phenomenon of “vaccine nationalism” is politically advantageous, but proponents of vaccine nationalism are lacking in moral and epidemiological merit. Although it theoretically makes sense for countries to vaccinate their own citizens before helping others, this action unfairly exacerbates socioeconomic disparities between wealthy and developing countries, and opens the door for vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variations to emerge.
What is the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word “politician” or “diplomat”? Seeing as the fields of international relations and political science lackdiverse representation, you likely think of a white, cisgender man. Our perceptions of who can be successful in these fields are skewed: women and gender minorities are often seen as less competent than their male counterparts, and are often excluded from having a seat at the table. The fact that these groups are sidelined in policy-making diminishes the effectiveness of policy and discounts the interests and needs of half the population. Underrepresentation and low levels of political participation among women and gender minorities remain significant issues, compounded by politically motivated violence against women and female activists.
While much research has been done on the avenues that have impacted students, not as much attention has been paid to the ways that the pandemic has affected teachers. Therefore, while I agree with Cardona that we must prioritize reopening of schools, I believe that we must simultaneously institute a plan to support many of our nation’s educators who have been overlooked during the past year.
The intricacies of a room — the chosen color scheme, hung vinyl and sports posters, maps of a hometown city, shelves brimming with plants, the warm glow of waterfall string lights — allow a glimpse into a more private life. In these rooms, there is no pressure to contort yourself into someone you’re not and pretend to like the things you don’t. In my case, those pink dumbbells were a glimpse into a part of who I am that would never have been obvious in an in-person class.
The most immediate logistical challenge for Biden is what to do about the crisis on the southern border. As xenophobia helps drive some Republicans’ electoral successes, many have been trying to pin the crisis on Biden to better their chances in 2022. But an honest evaluation of the situation makes Biden look more hypocritical than pro-immigrant.
In the fall 2020 exit survey conducted by TCU Senate, 73% of respondents rated their mental health as 5 or lower on a 10-point scale and over 80% stated that their mental health negatively impacted their motivation, academics, work and social lives. These statistics are frightening, yet not surprising considering the cumulative stressors on college students over the last year.
This past year, I have been a member of the 2020-21 Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship curriculum that is focused on China and its role in the international system. Through this class, I have been able to explore my interest in international politics, energy policy and economic development.
Fascism is characterized by uber-nationalism, anti-democratic ideals, the use of violence as both a means and an end and skepticism toward capitalism. Trump checks the first two boxes and dabbles in the third. But to assert that he is suspicious of capitalism would be a grotesque fallacy.
Aside from the impressive discoveries made by these robots as they examine extraterrestrial rocks, what is also significant is the sheer amount of dedication shown by the creators of these robots — some of the greatest scientific minds in the country who want to explore places that we, as humans, cannot go ourselves.
"Dialectic of Enlightenment" was published after the Nazi propaganda machine fully infiltrated German society and offers a unique perspective on the roles of mass media and fascism. Similarly, Netflix’s recent documentary "The Social Dilemma" (2020) analyzes how social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter promote the spread of misleading, hyperpartisan information.
“Lilo & Stitch” has always been focused on family, whether it be broken or whole, and how we can find connections and purposes that matter. The franchise’s earnestness has made it both famous and a generational touchstone. For people who grew up with the film (and its subsequent show), Stitch is just about the cutest plush animal you can get at The Walt Disney World Resort.
This narrative, pushed by both Democrats and Republicans, has wrongly conflated China as a hegemonic challenger with China as a national security threat. Although China’s increasing influence does inherently challenge the U.S.’s position as the global hegemon, it is not the existential national security threat it’s often made out to be, but instead a responsible stakeholder in the current global system.
It has been almost 70 years since the Supreme Court made its precedent-setting decision to desegregate schools in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case. While our nation has made immense progress from our former legal structures that openly endorsed blatantly segregated schools, we still have a long way to go. Approximately 6% of students currently in the American public education system are enrolled in gifted programs. The aforementioned group of students is overwhelmingly composed of white and Asian students, while many incredibly intelligent Black and Hispanic students are left without the same chances for academic advancement. For example, in New York City, almost three-fourths of students in gifted programs are white or Asian, despite the fact that Black and Hispanic students make up 65% of the school system.
With every day that goes by, it seems less likely that we will ever “return to normal” — any post-pandemic world will be radically different than the one we left behind a year ago. So as we reflect on all that we’ve lost in the past year, we should also take a moment to think about what kind of new “normal” we want to create for the years ahead.
The beauty of these open-book tests is their unorthodox approach to a worthwhile objective — rather than testing a student’s ability to regurgitate information, these exams measure an individual’s ability to apply said information. As a result, students are compelled to understand the material to a much fuller extent than they would on a test based on solely the recollection of information.
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