"Assimilation to the United States’ Christian-majority culture has played a role in Hanukkah’s modern transformation. That said, the story of how Hanukkah came to have the commercial, kids-and-gifts focus that it has in the U.S. today is a bit more complicated." - The Conversation
The destruction of dozens of majors and careers at West Virginia University, which serves many working- and middle-class students, raises a fundamental question in public higher education: If you’re a bright kid of modest means, which opportunities do you deserve? - The Atlantic
Contrary to some beliefs, introducing AI as a technology can support and enhance creativity in educational settings. For example, generative AI tools can be used to promote divergent thinking, challenge expertise bias, assist in idea evaluation, support idea refinement and facilitate collaboration. - The Conversation
Everything that’s usually on the menu was present. Hair-raising musical performances. Touching tributes from past honorees. Biographical videos. Amusing bits. Herbie Hancock. - Washington Post
"An atmosphere of urgency and calls for immediate action are hostile to fields of study like literature and philosophy that require a contemplative mood, and the pretense of knowing what one doesn’t actually know is hostile to forms of inquiry that demand an open mind." - The New York Times
West Virginia says no. "For most students, their state’s main public university remains their best hope of breaching the walls of class difference. As the ax falls, that idealistic mission fades, and inequalities widen." - The Atlantic
The potential AI controversy is just the latest in a series of humiliations. "All of these companies have followed the same strategy: 'leveraging” the SI brand and wringing maximum cash from it, even as they actively undermine the journalism that built that reputation." - The Atlantic
Artefacts that have been around for a thousand years or more have been destroyed in Russia’s illegal war. However, facing up to the issues, which includes improving this international legal structure, might help prevent some destruction of cultural treasures in the future. - The Conversation
Olivia Swarthout is the researcher behind the popular art history-inspired social media account Weird Medieval Guys, which has attracted nearly 700,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, since she began posting with the handle @WeirdMedieval in April 2022. - CNN
“We thought, 'What’s the point in us existing in perpetuity and just trickling out funds while saying no to more communities when we knew we could have a greater impact by allocating our resources at an accelerated rate.'” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
After Izvestiya reported this story two weeks ago, both Gergiev himself and outgoing director Vladimir Urin backed away from it, though without an outright denial. But Urin announced his departure to colleagues last night, and the government announced that Gergiev has been appointed for a five-year term. - The Guardian
Hunter College has agreed to reschedule a screening of a documentary critical of Israel, following an outcry from faculty members and students who claimed that the administration’s earlier decision to cancel it violated academic freedom. - The New York Times
The law, which passed earlier this year via a majority Republican Legislature, forbids "any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation" in grades K-6. - Axios
