tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/2015-23389/articles2015 – The Conversation2015-12-30T19:50:34Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/526572015-12-30T19:50:34Z2015-12-30T19:50:34ZWas 2015 such a terrible year? And what will 2016 look like?<p>Well Santa has come and gone, at least for the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/11518702/Mapped-What-the-worlds-religious-landscape-will-look-like-in-2050.html">largest proportion </a>of the world’s population. And, as we reach the end of the year, it is inevitably time to review recent trends and the prospects for 2016.</p>
<h2>By many standards, 2015 has been a terrible year</h2>
<p>The war in Syria and Iraq worsened as the number of war casualties <a href="http://sn4hr.org/blog/category/victims/death-toll/">grew</a> and its consequences spread. First, to Europe’s shores, with horrendous attacks on Paris at the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-kind-of-toughness-we-need-now-36037">beginning</a> and near the <a href="https://theconversation.com/paris-the-war-with-is-enters-a-new-stage-50709">end</a> of the year. And then it spread to America with the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/12030160/California-shooting-Multiple-victims-reported-in-San-Bernardino-live.html">attack</a> in San Bernardino.</p>
<p>The flow of refugees fleeing from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Eritrea became a tidal wave as the number of internally displaced persons and refugees reached an all-time <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/558193896.html">high</a>. Some European governments, like <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/08/germany-on-course-to-accept-one-million-refugees-in-2015">Germany</a>, found their soul when it came to accepting these refugees. Others lost <a href="http://wpo.st/nW5y0">theirs</a> – if they ever had one. </p>
<p>Back in the US, some used their presidential campaign as an opportunity to tap the kind of nativist impulse that periodically <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-time-america-finally-took-a-chance-on-syrias-refugees-47452">overwhelms the country</a> when its national security is threatened. Many Republicans supported <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/10/poll-finds-republican-support-for-donald-trumps-ban-on-muslims-coming-to-u-s/?_r=0">banning Muslims</a> from entering the United States. Others favored registering those already domiciled.</p>
<p>As all this was happening, the world’s governments <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/26/world/middleeast/us-foreign-arms-deals-increased-nearly-10-billion-in-2014.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share">sold more arms</a> than ever. And US-Chinese relations became increasingly <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/world/asia/us-navy-commander-implies-china-has-eroded-safety-of-south-china-sea.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share">tense</a> over the revelation that China was building islands in the South China Sea. </p>
<h2>But there have been some bright spots</h2>
<p>We should remember that wasn’t all bad news. America’s <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-cuba-reach-agreement-to-establish-formal-diplomatic-relations-1435702347">rapprochement</a> with Cuba has potentially eradicated one of the few remaining vestiges of the Cold War. And while the jury is still out, the <a href="https://www.armscontrol.org/pressroom/press-release/2015-07-14/P5-Plus-1-Nations-and-Iran-Reach-Historic-Nuclear-Deal">P5+1 agreement</a> with Iran offers the prospect that the West will avert a damaging conventional war. </p>
<p>More importantly, the number of people living in extreme poverty declined again, <a href="http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/poverty.shtml">falling to 14% in 2015</a>, from nearly 50% a generation ago. And the international community reached an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/13/paris-climate-deal-cop-diplomacy-developing-united-nations">environmental agreement</a> in Paris. While critics may rightly contend that it is inadequate, in the words of <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu137141.html">Lao Tzu</a>, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” </p>
<p>Finally, if the Nigerian president is to be believed, Boko Haram has been “<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35173618">defeated</a>,” at least technically. If true, and that is a big “if,” it offers some inspiration for all those governments dealing with radicalism and terrorism.</p>
<h2>What of last year’s predictions?</h2>
<p>At this time last year, I offered my <a href="https://theconversation.com/around-the-world-in-2015-the-big-stories-predicted-35842">predictions</a> for 2015. </p>
<p>I suggested that the US would increase its ground force combat military presence in Iraq and Syria. That proved <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/world/middleeast/us-increases-special-operations-forces-fighting-isis-in-iraq.html">true</a>. I also predicted that the war would come to Europe and that Europe would join the war – although France and Britain have stuck to an air war so far, and not ground troops as I suggested. I predicted that American relations with Russia would worsen, which they <a href="http://www.eurasianet.org/node/76136">have</a>; and that the number of migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe would grow – as they did, with more than a <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911">million</a> arriving. I also predicted that the major powers would reach a deal with Iran. Finally, I suggested that the dollar would strengthen against other major currencies. It <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/05/business/dollars-surge-against-other-currencies-weighs-down-united-states-economy.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Business%20Day&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article">did</a>.</p>
<p>But before I get too impressed with myself, I should note that my long shots proved to be – well, long shots. Benjamin Netanyahu is still in power and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained in a quagmire. North Korea is as isolated and threatening as ever. And, with the exception of Cuba, the jury is still out on improved US relations with Latin America – although the election of new right wing governments in <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/11/mauricio-macri-elected-argentinas-next-president">Argentina</a> and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-opposition-win-and-dethrone-nicolas-maduro-after-17-years-of-socialist-rule-a6762946.html">Venezuela</a> suggests that may materialize.</p>
<p>And I missed so many other major stories.</p>
<p>So what of 2016? Here are five possible story lines.</p>
<h2>A muddled, fragile agreement, of sorts, is reached in Syria – one that excludes the Islamic State</h2>
<p>It is the turn of the year and still the season of goodwill, So let’s start off with an optimistic, if some would say unrealistic, prediction. An agreement will be reached. It is presaged by a growth in violence as all parties push to secure more territory before it takes effect. And it may vaguely mention power transition. But it promises that some day there will be an election, which Bashar Al-Assad will win because – sadly – he has more domestic <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/bashar-al-assad-has-more-popular-support-than-the-western-backed-opposition-poll/5495643">support</a> that his critics are willing to acknowledge. Any ceasefire is repeatedly broken. Long shot? ISIS will informally, de facto, respect the deal because it faces defeat if it continues its efforts to expand.</p>
<h2>The US will accept some Syrian refugees – but deport many more Hispanic immigrants</h2>
<p>President Obama has made it clear that he will accept more Syrians – even in what are pathetically small numbers – despite proposed <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/house/260782-house-defies-obama-approves-bill-halting-syrian-refugees">congressional legislation</a> that seeks to do the opposite. </p>
<p>One nice thing about being in your last year in office is that you can often ignore <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-majority-americans-oppose-accepting-syrian-refugees-n465816">public opinion</a>, as the president wants to do in admitting these refugees. But administration officials from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have made it just as clear that they intend to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/25/us/politics/us-plans-raids-in-new-year-to-fight-surge-in-border-crossings.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share">round up and deport</a> many more undocumented families, hoping to discourage a renewed surge in illegal border crossings. </p>
<p>Obama may want to go down in history as a president who was gracious in <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/obama-syrian-refugees/417222/">accepting</a> the Syrians. But his treatment of Latin Americans will certainly add to his reputation as the great deporter, having done so to nearly two million people in total and more people in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/us/more-deportations-follow-minor-crimes-data-shows.html">2014</a> than any president in American history. The only good news for Democrats is that the presidential candidates will be able to separate themselves from his policy by heavily criticizing him for his actions.</p>
<h2>The Arctic will become the new frontier</h2>
<p>The pressure to drill for oil in the Arctic may have lessened as prices have fallen. But global climate change means there is no prospect of the refreezing of huge swathes of the Arctic any time soon. So the Arctic is becoming <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-arctic-melts-the-us-needs-to-pay-attention-35578">an increasingly important waterway</a> and its abundant natural resources are all the more accessible. The Russians realize this. So they are militarizing their presence in the Arctic. And they are constructing a new generation of <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/russia-and-china-in-the-arctic-is-the-us-facing-an-icebreaker-gap/">super-nuclear icebreakers</a> to ensure they have access to the Arctic’s waters. </p>
<p>In contrast, the US is woefully <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-arctic-melts-the-us-needs-to-pay-attention-35578">underprepared</a> to engage in the region. It does have an embryonic policy. But as President Obama’s visit to the Arctic’s fringes made clear, it is primarily an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/opinion/mr-obamas-urgent-arctic-message.html">economic and environmental</a> one. Not a military, one. America, for example, has no comparable icebreakers to those being developed by the Russians.</p>
<p>The remaining member states of the Arctic Council are worried by Russia’s behavior – and <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/why-is-the-plan-near-alaska/">China is lurking</a> as it recognizes the significance of these emergent seas lanes to its global trade. It would be nice to think a grand agreement could be reached on how to reconcile every side’s interests. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/under-the-sea-russia-china-and-american-control-of-the-waterways-50442">evidence about disputes</a> stretching from the South China Sea to the Black Sea suggests that is unlikely. </p>
<p>Watch for maps of the Arctic Circle on your TV screens soon.</p>
<h2>Closer to home – Donald Trump will not be the Republican candidate</h2>
<p>There is a long history of loud populists who know how to tap into the minority of voters in democracies who resort to nativism when they feel economic insecurity and who feel free to express racist impulses. They look for a powerful leader. Broderick Crawford depicted such a persona beautifully in the movie of Robert Penn Warren’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041113/">All the King’s Men</a>. </p>
<p>But a recent <a href="http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2311">poll</a> suggests that half of American voters say they would be embarrassed to have Donald Trump as president. It reveals that he has the highest unfavorability rating of any candidate among prospective voters, and that other candidates are closing the gap on his lead among Republicans.</p>
<p>Trump may yet win in Iowa. But Iowa’s Republicans have proved very bad at picking presidential nominees. Their last two picks were Rich Santorum and, before that, Mike Huckabee.</p>
<p>Indeed, the American system is built to withstand the kind of buffeting caused by Trump’s kind of candidacy. And as the Republican field narrows, and Americans actually begin to focus on the presidential election, many senior <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/opinion/no-donald-trump-wont-win.html">analysts</a> believe that Trump’s star will wane. Indeed, despite his astonishing self-promotion and evident triumphalism, if held today, Trump would <a href="http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-would-do-better-hillary-2016-race-against-trump-national-poll-finds">lose an election </a>to either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders handily. Many Republican voters, if only because of their loathing of Hillary Clinton, want to back a winner. </p>
<p>I am not imprudent enough to suggest who the Republican candidate will be. In may be a centrist such as Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or, as the Democrats would prefer, a more radical Republican such as Ted Cruz. But I suspect that Trump’s momentum will abruptly halt as the long primary process unfolds.</p>
<h2>But yes, Hillary will be the Democratic candidate – and will be elected president</h2>
<p>There it is. I said it. There is nothing like putting your reputation on the line in print. Despite her immense baggage and no shortage of possible trip wires between now and election day, I believe Clinton will be the first female president. America’s shifting demographics favor her, given the continued Republican missteps in alienating America’s growing minority electorate. And if elected, her foreign policy will be a little more robust and muscular than Barack Obama’s – signaling a return to forthright American leadership, rather than a <a href="http://www.iiss.org/en/publications/survival/sections/2015-1e95/survival--global-politics-and-strategy-october-november-2015-3ec2/57-5-11-reich-and-dombrowski-d455">strategy of sponsorship</a>. This will mean a greater military engagement in the Middle East; more negotiations with the Russians and the Chinese on a variety of issues; and more money spent on America’s diplomatic services, a key component of what Clinton has referred to as “<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/3/hillary-clinton-smart-show-respect-even-enemies/">smart power</a>.” She will use husband Bill as foreign emissary, generating the kind of goodwill that Barack Obama enjoyed in Europe and Africa in the early days of his presidency.</p>
<p>Then again, I left Britain in the early 1980s believing that Margaret Thatcher would only last a year or two as Britain’s prime minister. She was Britain’s longest serving prime minister of the twentieth century. So you can be forgiven for dismissing that prediction.</p>
<p>I conclude on a more joyful note. May 2016 bring us all health, prosperity and love – and the time to enjoy them all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Well Santa has come and gone, at least for the largest proportion of the world’s population. And, as we reach the end of the year, it is inevitably time to review recent trends and the prospects for 2016…Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers University - NewarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/526042015-12-30T13:26:13Z2015-12-30T13:26:13Z2015, the year that was: education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106924/original/image-20151222-27894-1r46xgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">2015 showed how much race still matters in education.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/illinoisspringfield/14028616900/in/photolist-nnEk4b-eiuvry-KDhJy-ej1W7q-55XtUM-eiVc1e-ej1W31-eiVcN4-eiVbVi-ej1Wgh-eiVbJt-nnE5di-nDRU4x-nE8SN7-nDRTSF-nnEixq-eiVd42-eiVcyz-4SzDm9-bXYQjm-bXYQfb-ekDWdG-ekyb2e-ekDW4N-eioLFi-nE8Vx5-eiVcng-ej1VDd-eiVc7n-eiVbRe-eiVbwp-eiVbpt-nDWs9C-nE9MZD-nE9Mx6-eiVbFa-ej1Wkm-ej1V2w-ej1UUC-ej2fzj-eiVvST-bWUZvG-nDWtLq-nDRVyB-nnE6BR-nnEjSE-nnE8qj-nFWawZ-nDWsDf-nDWstf">Illinois Springfield</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>As we approach 2016, we look back at the big stories of The Conversation’s education coverage over the past 12 months.</em></p>
<p>2015 was a year of much turmoil: higher education witnessed student activism not quite seen <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-history-is-shaping-the-studentblackout-movement-51078">since the free speech movement</a> of the 1960s.</p>
<p>The spark for the protests came from the University of Missouri – where students’ demands for racial justice <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-long-and-troubled-racial-past-of-mizzou-50639">had gone unheard</a>. With the football team joining the protesting students, events took a different turn and resulted in the resignation of the president, Tim Wolfe. Thereafter, protests spread to <a href="https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2015/11/24/student-protests-spread-to-more-than-100-campuses-nationwide">over 100</a> other campuses.</p>
<h2>Racism on campus</h2>
<p>Over the past year, scholars writing for The Conversation have emphasized how much race continues to be a factor in students’ success – and not just in college, but even through their early school years.</p>
<p>As some have pointed out, academia suffers from a <a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-academia-black-professors-are-expected-to-entertain-while-presenting-46249">“stunning lack of diversity.”</a> Black scholars <a href="https://theconversation.com/reflections-of-a-black-female-scholar-i-know-what-it-feels-like-to-be-invisible-39748">describe experiences</a> ranging from <a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-academia-black-professors-are-expected-to-entertain-while-presenting-46249">racial slights</a> to outright discrimination. At the K-12 level, research shows that black students <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-harsher-disciplinary-measures-school-systems-fail-black-kids-39906">are more likely</a> to receive out-of-school suspensions for minor violations of the code of conduct. </p>
<p>On campuses, students have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-missouri-president-ouster-offer-lessons-to-universities-grappling-with-a-racist-past-50493">demanding for some time the renaming</a> of buildings whose names evoke a troubled racial past. Many universities and their past leaders were <a href="https://theconversation.com/unsurprised-by-missouri-scholars-on-the-roots-of-racial-unrest-on-campus-50636">intimately connected</a> to the slave trade and slavery. This year further escalated some of the tensions.</p>
<p>In this environment, Fisher v University of Texas, a <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-crucial-texas-case-on-race-considerations-in-college-admissions-44117">case</a> challenging the University of Texas’s race-conscious admissions policy, took on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-scholars-emphasize-the-need-for-affirmative-action-43692">even greater significance</a>. The policy <a href="https://theconversation.com/ban-on-affirmative-action-in-medicine-will-hurt-all-39904">allows the university</a> to build a racially and ethnically diverse student body. But the case challenging it says it violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.</p>
<h2>Tenure, college costs, guns</h2>
<p>The debates on university campuses in 2015 were many, and not just to do with race. </p>
<p>The issue of academic freedom became a fractious one after Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker put forward a proposal to slash spending on education and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-else-will-we-lose-when-wisconsin-faculty-loses-tenure-42929">modify the state laws</a> on tenure.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106925/original/image-20151222-27890-phlnmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There were many issues of concern this year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dustpuppy/6852779/in/photolist-B86n-B6Lt-B6YW-B7Ps-B8mC-B84A-B8ht-B7nq-B87p-pjYumV-pztNyb-aExUV3-B6E4-B7MX-B8ck-B6FR-B7u4-B7HG-B7eu-B8f3-B7zp-B7Vz-B733-B835-B76t-B7BW-B7bp-B8ko-B6Rn-B71h-B7wz-B786-B7py-B81G-B6K3-B7L7-B7DZ-B6Xo-B6SS-B79N-B7Xb-B7jt-B6Q8-B7cL-B8ac-B6MU-B7Tj-8ZPW1y-ym1o-ym1c">Björn Láczay</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All over again, issues of college affordability were <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-reduce-debt-give-students-more-information-to-make-wise-college-choice-decisions-46064">brought center-stage</a> by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s announcement of a US$350 billion debt-free college plan. <a href="https://theconversation.com/clintons-debt-free-college-comes-with-a-price-tag-46378">Our experts argued</a> how such a large expansion in federal dollars would come at a cost. </p>
<p>And while students struggled with debt, smaller colleges struggled to keep student enrollment high enough. One of them, Sweet Briar, a women’s liberal arts college, was <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-we-learn-from-sweet-briars-near-death-44055">among those hit hard</a> by declining enrollment. While the board voted to close the doors, its alumnae made efforts to keep it going for at least another year.</p>
<p>In Texas, meanwhile, a “Campus Carry” gun law passed in spring 2015, <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-guns-on-campus-lead-to-grade-inflation-40748">raising faculty fears</a> about the possibility of grade inflation. </p>
<h2>Teachers, testing, new ESSA</h2>
<p>If higher education was in turmoil, so was K-12. </p>
<p>Testing pressures led to an ever-growing number of parents, teachers and students “opting out” of testing <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-are-opting-out-of-testing-how-did-we-get-here-40364">across all 50 states</a>. Some experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/arne-duncans-legacy-growing-influence-of-a-network-of-private-actors-on-public-education-48790">put the blame</a> on the influence of a “network” of private actors over the policies implemented under US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who will be leaving office at the end of this year.</p>
<p>A number of scholars commented on how policies have left schoolteachers <a href="https://theconversation.com/crisis-in-american-education-as-teacher-morale-hits-an-all-time-low-39226">highly demotivated</a>. In an effort to <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-somber-message-on-world-teachers-day-2015-our-teachers-are-at-risk-48550">improve the “annual yearly progress”</a> of their students, some schools not only <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-child-left-behind-fails-to-work-miracles-spurs-cheating-38620">resorted to unethical practices</a>, but also punished teachers for low scores. </p>
<p>How then are teachers being evaluated? It isn’t clear. Not least when music teachers can be <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-it-get-more-absurd-now-music-teachers-are-being-tested-based-on-math-and-reading-scores-47995">evaluated</a> based on the math and reading scores of students.</p>
<p>In answer to some of these concerns, before the end of the year, President Obama signed The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) – which will replace the NCLB and end many of testing and evaluation policies, although <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-every-student-succeeds-act-still-leaves-most-vulnerable-kids-behind-46247">experts still urge caution</a> on wholeheartedly embracing the ESSA.</p>
<p>Despite the odds, schoolteachers and university professors remained unfailing in their commitment, innovation and dedication to their students. Indeed, innovative examples of teaching were among our best-read stories as well. Here are some:</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-understanding-the-prisoners-dilemma-can-help-bridge-liberal-and-conservative-differences-46166">How understanding the prisoner’s dilemma can help bridge liberal and conservative differences</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/want-more-innovation-try-connecting-the-dots-between-engineering-and-humanities-42800">Want more innovation? Try connecting the dots between engineering and humanities</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/a-teacher-uses-star-trek-for-difficult-conversations-on-race-and-gender-43098">A teacher uses Star Trek for difficult conversations on race and gender</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/through-the-brewing-class-what-beer-making-can-teach-students-about-business-42396">Through the brewing class: what beer-making can teach students about business</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/using-wikipedia-a-scholar-redraws-academic-lines-by-including-it-in-his-syllabus-39103">Using Wikipedia: a scholar redraws academic lines by including it in his syllabus</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/teaching-artists-creative-ways-to-teach-english-to-immigrant-kids-42588">‘Teaching artists’: creative ways to teach English to immigrant kids</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52604/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
The year 2015 escalated many of the tensions that have existed on university and college campuses for a long time. It will be remembered as the year of student activism.Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor/ Director of the Global Religion Journalism InitiativeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/526292015-12-28T12:35:32Z2015-12-28T12:35:32Z2015, the year that was: arts and culture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106954/original/image-20151223-27884-mcvlaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">John James Audubon's American Flamingo (1838).</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/stb/lots/N08/N08823/519N08823_62VHD.jpg">Sotheby's</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>With the New Year approaching, we highlight the top arts and culture stories from 2015.</em></p>
<p>Over the past year, there was no shortage of news events, artistic breakthroughs and cultural trends to write about. As always, we tried to provide an interesting twist to supplement existing coverage. </p>
<p>With the 2016 presidential campaign heating up, our running series <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/the-art-of-the-presidency">The Art of the Presidency</a> explored the nuances of running for the nation’s highest office. Our writers analyzed how a good campaign <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-branding-of-an-american-president-40451">logo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/showbiz-politics-through-campaign-songs-candidates-become-stars-40043">song</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rhetorical-brilliance-of-trump-the-demagogue-51984">speech</a> – even a candidate’s facial hair (or <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-a-politicians-best-tool-a-razor-44484">lack thereof</a>) – can influence voter support. </p>
<p>For the desk’s sports coverage, our academics added a layer of legal analysis to <a href="https://theconversation.com/deflategate-has-never-been-about-footballs-so-what-exactly-is-the-nfl-up-to-46119">Deflategate</a> and the (ongoing) <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-a-shaky-legal-foundation-are-daily-fantasy-sports-a-billion-dollar-house-of-cards-47914">daily fantasy sports</a> saga. Meanwhile, our <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/youth-sports">youth sports series</a> covered some of the most pressing issues young athletes face, from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-troubling-price-of-playing-youth-sports-38191">rising costs of participating</a> to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-parents-morally-obligated-to-forbid-their-kids-from-playing-football-39764">ethics of signing up your kid to play football</a>. </p>
<p>On the cultural front, we probed puzzling trends abroad – namely, some of the reasons that the Japanese have <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-japans-moss-obsession-50500">become so smitten with moss</a> and why Norwegians have begun using the word “Texas” <a href="https://theconversation.com/norwegians-using-texas-to-mean-crazy-actually-isnt-so-crazy-49990">as a synonym for “crazy.”</a> </p>
<p>Of course, America’s cultural quirks abound: why have Americans become <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-jade-helm-15-conspiracy-theory-a-sign-that-americans-are-becoming-more-paranoid-42573">increasingly paranoid</a> and susceptible to conspiracy theories? What’s with the country’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-series-of-pokers-colossus-event-and-americas-obsession-with-risk-42658">obsession with gambling and risk</a>? Why are our public bathroom <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-public-bathrooms-make-us-so-anxious-and-why-arent-we-doing-anything-about-it-50107">designs so anxiety-inducing</a>? We also had to weigh in on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-dad-bod-phenomenon-says-about-the-priorities-of-our-media-and-culture-42586">dad bod phenomenon</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106949/original/image-20151223-27887-51linh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Waiting for Superdad: The dad bod took the nation by storm in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our writers took us inside criminal subcultures – into the world of <a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-the-world-of-suburban-drug-dealing-43219">suburban drug dealing</a> and inside the nation’s prisons, where we analyzed the various ways <a href="https://theconversation.com/fishing-for-favors-how-inmates-lure-prison-staffers-44646">inmates can lure prison staffers</a> into illicit relationships that involve favors like sex, money or drugs. As the Islamic State’s (ISIS) numbers grew, we investigated some of the terrorist organization’s creative recruiting methods, like how they’ve used <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-weapon-of-islamist-extremists-is-poetry-43102">poetry</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-the-islamic-state-music-is-the-alcohol-of-the-soul-47026">music</a> to attract new members. </p>
<p>With terrorist attacks at home and abroad, many seem to be focused on figuring out ways to purge the world of evil. Perhaps that’s why exorcisms – long thought to be a relic of the Dark Ages – <a href="https://theconversation.com/purging-daily-demons-whats-behind-the-popularity-of-exorcisms-50231">are on the rise</a>. But seeing the devil in everyday life – even in pop culture – isn’t anything new; the same strand of thinking led many to label <a href="https://theconversation.com/rival-fantasies-dungeons-and-dragons-players-and-their-religious-critics-actually-have-a-lot-in-common-40343">Dungeons and Dragons players</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fate-of-the-metalheads-44876">metalheads</a> as satanic in the 1980s.</p>
<p>Over the summer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-grateful-dead-were-decades-ahead-of-their-time-44547">Deadheads said “fare thee well”</a> as the Grateful Dead toured for the last time. And speaking of farewells, before we close the door on 2015, let’s take a moment to remember some arts icons who are no longer with us. </p>
<p>Neuroscientist and writer <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-oliver-sacks-brought-readers-into-his-patients-inner-worlds-46918">Oliver Sacks</a>, Star Trek’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-of-the-family-leonard-nimoys-impact-on-fandom-38356">Leonard Nimoy</a>, poet <a href="https://theconversation.com/remembering-former-poet-laureate-philip-levine-37740">Philip Levine</a> and designer <a href="https://theconversation.com/michael-graves-sought-to-create-joy-through-superior-design-38887">Michael Graves</a> all passed away – as did Don Featherstone, the inventor of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-kitsch-to-park-avenue-the-cultural-history-of-the-plastic-pink-flamingo-43987">pink plastic flamingo</a> (may his fledglings populate lawns for eternity). </p>
<p>Six months after Bill Simmons <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-bill-simmons-innovative-style-led-to-his-rise-and-fall-at-espn-41561">unceremoniously left ESPN</a>, his former bosses <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-grantlands-demise-says-about-espns-past-and-future-ambitions-50050">shuttered Grantland</a>, Simmons’ acclaimed sports and pop culture website. And the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced earlier this year that JFK Airport’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-an-iconic-airport-terminal-the-last-vestiges-of-a-bygone-era-40344">iconic TWA terminal</a> would be transformed into a luxury hotel. </p>
<p>They’ll all be missed. (Except perhaps <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-next-battleground-will-be-confederate-memorials-and-the-case-for-removal-isnt-so-clear-cut-44218">Confederate statues</a>.)</p>
<p>Finally, below you’ll find links to the top 10 most-read arts and culture stories from the past year:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-men-who-stay-abstinent-until-marriage-47898">What happens to men who stay abstinent until marriage?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/should-movie-studios-be-worried-about-netflixs-first-feature-film-47076">Should movie studios be worried about Netflix’s first feature film?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-give-a-man-a-gun-the-evolutionary-psychology-of-mass-shootings-51782">If you give a man a gun: the evolutionary psychology of mass shootings</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-japans-moss-obsession-50500">What’s behind Japan’s moss obession?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-evolutionary-psychology-may-explain-the-difference-between-male-and-female-serial-killers-41659">How evolutionary psychology may explain the difference between male and female serial killers</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/im-a-librarian-who-banned-a-book-heres-why-48427">I’m a librarian who banned a book. Here’s why.</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-pervasive-anti-millennial-sentiment-has-hurt-the-cause-of-student-protesters-51234">How pervasive anti-millennial sentiment has hurt the cause of student protestors</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-public-bathrooms-make-us-so-anxious-and-why-arent-we-doing-anything-about-it-50107">Why do public bathrooms make us so anxious, and why aren’t we doing anything about it?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-dinosaurs-what-would-we-need-to-create-a-jurassic-world-42915">Beyond dinosaurs, what would we need to create a Jurassic World?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/can-public-service-announcements-take-a-bite-out-of-shark-week-43900">Can public service announcements take a bite out of Shark Week?</a></p></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52629/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
A review of some of the top arts and culture stories from the past year.Nick Lehr, Arts + Culture EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.