by Ariana Siegel   In the past two years, student activism has brought issues of identity and diversity to the forefront of conversations at Tufts. These discussions inspired the creation of a comparative race and ethnicity studies working group, dedicated to establishing a new program called Critical Studies in Disparities and Diasporas (C2D). This program will serve as an umbrella for an Africana Studies major, an Asian American Studies minor, and other identity-related studies in the future. The faculty working group is led by Professors Peniel Joseph and Francie Chew. The TCU senate also elected four student representatives,...

By Alex Kaufman   February 7, 2012 marked victory after a long and arduous battle that started on Election Day 2008. Right as America ushered in President Obama, Californians voted on Proposition 8, a proposition that would eliminate the rights of same sex couples to marry – and it passed, roughly 52 percent in favor and 48 percent opposing. The passage of Prop 8 was met with protest, vigils, a slew of YouTube videos, and general discontent. The bill was immediately brought to the California Supreme Court, where the Californian justices defended the bill. On August 4, 2010 however, federal judge, Chief Judge Walker overturned that...

By Eliza Mills   Required reading is a term that no longer applies only to text; as modern storytelling changes to accommodate new media, the meaning of “well read” is being redefined. We now measure cultural literacy in a variety of ways—from New York Times reviews and YouTube hits to viral moneymakers and critics’ darlings. Understanding and keeping pace with culture largely depends on one’s ability to stay well read. In a time when “well read” begins to take on new meaning, how do we keep up? Living in an era where something can spread like wildfire overnight, it becomes hard to stay up to date with culture. Is it...