This post first appeared on the Independent Institute. When Queen and Slim went into wide release in November 2019, trailers suggested the movie was a story of a “black Bonnie and Clyde.” It’s not. That’s also the point. The movie, directed by Melina Matsoukas and written by Lena Waithe, is a disturbing commentary on racial injustice in America. Most white…
Category: Education
Aging Today: What is Lifelong Learning?
The script for this piece originally aired during WFSU’s Aging Today segment. We tend to think of education as something we do early in life to prepare us for employment, but programs to give educational opportunities to older adults, often referred to as lifelong learning, have a different goal. Rather than taking courses to gain employment credentials,…
Policy Pub: The Blue Revolution – Marine Aquaculture and the Future of Sustainable Food Systems
It is estimated that by the year 2050, Earth’s population will reach more than 9 billion people, creating serious challenges for meeting global food demand while also addressing environmental sustainability concerns. Seafood consumption has increased steadily over the past four decades, with more than 3 billion people worldwide depending on fish as a major source…
COSSPP Faculty Impact on Scholarship: Influence at a Glance
As the spring semester comes to an end, we want to take a moment to celebrate the accomplishments and influence of faculty in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. This series of graphs produced by Dr. Jim Elsner offers a glimpse of the amazing work taking place in the College of Social Science…
Five Principles to Improve Your Virtual Work Space after Coronavirus
This piece first appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to massive, overnight shifts in higher education and in the broader workforce. Millions of students and workers in Florida and throughout the U.S. are now forced into online learning and virtual work. Unfortunately, remote work and learning carries its own burdens….
Social Science Scholar: Sustainable Fashion
This summer, I did a 9-week long internship with Behno, a sustainable fashion company based in New York. Behno is a sustainable handbag company that uses ethical practices, sustainable materials, and sleek designs to create their handbags. They have two to three factories in which they produce their handbags and have paired with a non-profit…
Policy Pub: Beyond Redevelopment – Urban Planning for Racial Equity
On any given day, you can drive around Tallahassee and see new construction everywhere. Development is often an indication of a city’s success and growth. But who gets left behind in this progress, and how can urban planners work toward social and economic justice for every citizen? Continuing Policy Pub’s focus on how national, even…
Social Science Scholar: Research in South America and in the U.S.
With the support of the Social Science Scholars program I was able to work on several projects. Once summer began, I conducted a preliminary visit to Alban, Colombia to form relationships with community members to conduct an ethnographic research project in the future about the negation and recuperation of Indigenous identities in Colombia. After my…
Scholarly Perspectives: Helping Americans Better Understanding the Syrian Civil War
How can the average Floridian get a real sense of the events of the Syrian civil war and diaspora? Well, consider that in 2011 when that situation exploded, the country of Syria was about the same size (about 21 million people) as the state of Florida. What if it all had happened in Florida instead…
Research Spotlight: Can We Prevent Democratic Breakdowns and Help Democracies Endure?
The world is facing an erosion of democratic institutions. But this erosion is not an equal opportunity offender. Elections, a standard feature of democracy, have rarely been more popular. Today, democrats and autocrats alike employ elections to legitimize their rule. At first glance, we might be encouraged by this. However, despite this potentially positive trend,…
