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American novelist Toni Morrison died at the age of 88, her publisher announced Tuesday. Morrison received a master's in English from Cornell University in 1955 and was the first African-American writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her work, which centered around issues of black identity and race, was “masterful, purposeful, precise and challenging,” says Noliwe Rooks, professor in the Africana Studies & Research Center.

Arts & Humanities

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Jane Juffer, English professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Program of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, says the episode suggests that identity might not matter as much to children as having a safe space to express themselves.

Arts & Humanities

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On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the Cathedral of Notre Dame within five years, in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. While some experts have raised doubts that timeline is feasible, Barry Strauss, professor of history at Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences, says that Macron’s approach mirrors that of Roman emperors who, since ancient times, have been conscious of the symbolic – and political – power of holy sites.   

International

Arts and Sciences

Arts & Humanities

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As the world watched on Monday afternoon, a large fire broke out at the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, causing the spire to collapse onto the roof. Laurent Ferri, the curator of the pre-1800 Collections in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University, the former “conservateur du patrimoine” at the French National Archives, says the destruction of religious relics and rare works of art is a loss for all of the world.

Architecture, Art and Planning

Architecture & Design

Arts & Humanities

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On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “promote free and open debate on college and university campuses.” Trump said the order was the first in a series of steps to defend free speech on American campuses which, he said, have become increasingly hostile to the First Amendment.  Wendy Williams and Stephen Ceci, professors of developmental phycology at Cornell University, have written about the treatment of controversial topics on campus. When it comes to topics some people find offensive, they say, college campuses today are hardly bastions of free speech.

Arts & Humanities

Human Ecology

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Thomas Gilovich, professor of psychology, says connecting with other people greatly contributes to happiness, and the pursuit of material possessions undermines it.

Arts & Humanities

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Barry Strauss, military and naval historian and a professor in humanistic studies at Cornell University, comments on the potential for a U.S. Space Force.

Law, Government & Public Policy

Arts & Humanities

Arts and Sciences

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Sidney Tarrow, professor emeritus of government and adjunct professor of law at Cornell University comments on the assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, which occurred 50 years ago June 5.

Arts & Humanities

Law, Government & Public Policy

Arts and Sciences

Law School

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Lisa Pincus, an expert in seventeenth-century Dutch art and a visiting assistant professor of art history and visual studies at Cornell University, comments on a two-week intensive study of the 1665 painting, "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Arts & Humanities

Arts and Sciences

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Robert L. Harris Jr., professor emeritus of African American history at Cornell University and former director of the Africana Studies and Research Center, reflects on the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and what it meant for his own life and career.

Arts & Humanities

Arts and Sciences

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