‘Talk Back’ Series Explores Gender-Related Topics

The Women’s and Gender Center (WGC) has just implemented its “Talk Back” program after a pilot last year. The program is an informal and student-run series of dialogues focusing on contemporary topics in pop culture and current events that are related to gender. WGC staff host one Talk Back each semester and can co-lead the program with another WGC staffer or with someone from another resource center. The most recent talk, titled “Trans Identity and Recent Events,” was held last Thursday Nov

Thoughts on Theses: Christine Kim

Christine Kim ’18 is an interdisciplinary major. Her thesis, titled “The Role of Medical Humanities in U.S. Education,” explores the evolving role that humanities play in medical school education. Her advisers are Professor of History John W. Servos, Professor of the History of Art and Asian Languages and Civilizations Samuel C. Morse and Health Professions Advisor Richard A. Aronson. Q: What does it mean to be an interdisciplinary major? A: Many people don’t realize that being an interdiscipli

SCOTUS: Get Money out of Politics!

The advance of dark money in politics has severely hurt our democracy, and the possibility of a liberal appointee to the Supreme Court might change that. Here’s why that’s important: An American political campaign is excessively long and excessively expensive. Prior to the 1976 presidential election, most presidential candidates announced their candidacy the year of the election, sometimes less than 200 days before the election. Campaigns, however, have only been getting longer since then. Ted C

Why Kanye Can Win

Donald Trump’s rise to the top is considered thrilling or revolting, depending on whom you ask. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Trump is, without question, a master pitchman and a political genius. But, what experts say are his secret weapons are less political than they are psychological. As it turns out, what Trump has in common with Hitler may be less important in this election than what he has has in common with Kanye West. First off, it’s important to recognize who Trump’s supporters really a

Reforming Amherst’s Grading System to Encourage Student Growth

Grades are a subjective system that systematically values a narrow set of qualities that so very often do not correlate to greater life satisfaction or produce better students of the world. Tests chronically misdiagnose ineptitude in a subject, and professors’ personalities have the power to fundamentally alter both the way material is taught and how students’ work is examined. One of the greatest and most accepted myths in the academic realm is such: Grading properly measures a student’s achiev

Bring Back Divestment

The fossil fuel industry has an unwavering grip on our political system, our environment and, in the most extreme of scenarios, is leading the decline of sustainable life on Earth. This is about more than just living in a world without polar bears. This is a very real existential threat. We must fight back — and college campuses are the perfect place to start sending this message to the fossil fuel industry: Your profits do not take priority over our planet. A couple days ago, I was scrolling

Republican Xenophobia

The attacks in Paris and terrorism abroad have led many Republicans to make bigoted comments and continue to push for xenophobic policies. Trump is not alone; many people share his prejudice. If Republicans believe that they can convince the American electorate of the “merits” of their xenophobic policies, they will be quick to learn: They can’t and they won’t. With regard to the ISIS attack on Paris, Donald Trump spoke out in fury against President Obama’s decision to allow Syrian refugees to i

Dear Amherst: Who Are You?

Amherst, who are we? That’s the crucial question facing our school today. Let me explain. I’m a first-year. I’m new to this school and new to this whole college thing. I’d like to think I came to Amherst with a fresh perspective, unbiased by the twists and turns of college life. So with that in mind, when my friends back in Florida call and ask, “So what is Amherst like?” I find it surprisingly difficult to answer that question. Normally, college students can easily point to a prevalent campus

Et tu, Hilary? Solidifying Her Lead

No one can deny that Hillary Clinton is a woman of innumerable talents, but her performance at the first Democratic presidential debate was impressive even by her standards. Clinton was comfortable, poised and assertive. She spoke like a leader, had a commanding presence and used a tone that inspired the same hope that her former rival Barack Obama had so successfully elicited. Despite her campaign’s hardships in these past months, Clinton enumerated the issues of concern with a fiery passion, a