June 13, 2016 | Economiststalkart.org
This article is based on research co-authored by Fred Chen, associate professor of economics.
More than 50,000 pieces of artwork are stolen each year globally, and many cases of art crimes are facilitated by lax security at museums. How can economic theory account for these observations, and what kind of policies would help reduce the incidence of art thefts?
News articles about art thefts seem to appear just about every week. This should not be surprising: it has been estimated that more than 50,000 pieces of artwork are stolen each year around the world, and the black market for stolen art is valued at between $6 billion and $8 billion annually.
June 13, 2016 | Yahoo!
Most of us are familiar with the Freudian Oedipus complex, but we might not be as familiar with the Electra complex, which is when women fall for men who are like their dads. You might not think you choose guys like your dad, but your mind has a way of falling back on the familiar.
Finally, a relationship expert has let us in on the reason women choose partners who are similar to their fathers both physically and personality-wise.
“A girl who has a secure, supportive, communicative relationship with her father is less likely to get pregnant as a teenager,” Linda Nielsen writes. Women with good father-daughter relationships are also less likely to suffer from a range of illnesses, including depression, anorexia, and body dysmorphia, she says.
June 13, 2016 | WFU News and Communications
The WFU News Center Media Report for May 28 – June 10 is now available online.
May 31, 2016 | The Washington Post
Like other graduates of Wake Forest’s School of Divinity, Adam Plant walked onstage earlier this month to accept a diploma and a hug from Dean Gail O’Day.
Unlike them, his journey to the Master of Divinity degree took a significant detour. Three years ago when he began his studies, Adam was a North Carolina woman with a desire to plumb the intersection of faith and sexuality. By the time of the graduation ceremony, Plant had found acceptance and peace as a man.
An administrator at Wake Forest said the divinity school celebrates diverse gender and sexual identities and does not actively inquire about applicants’ gender identity. Duke has a similar statement.
John Senior, assistant teaching professor of ethics and society, said the need to think theologically about the pressing issues of the day pushed Wake Forest to require courses addressing religious pluralism, race and class, but also gender and sexuality.
Religion News Service and The Gazette also covered this story.
May 31, 2016 | Yahoo! News
Most of us are familiar with the Freudian Oedipus complex, but we might not be as familiar with the Electra complex, which is when women fall for men who are like their dads. You might not think you choose guys like your dad, but your mind has a way of falling back on the familiar.
Women with supportive fathers are more likely to succeed romantically. Linda Nielsen, a professor of educational and adolescent psychology at Wake Forest University, affirms this on Family Studies.
“A girl who has a secure, supportive, communicative relationship with her father is less likely to get pregnant as a teenager,” Nielsen writes. Women with good father-daughter relationships are also less likely to suffer from a range of illnesses, including depression, anorexia, and body dysmorphia, she says.
May 31, 2016 | The Oklahoman
Only 38 percent of white evangelical Protestants favor passing stricter gun control laws, compared to 67 percent of Catholics, 57 percent of white mainline Protestants and 60 percent of the religiously unaffiliated, according to a Public Religion Research Institute survey taken after the December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
The poll also found that 57 percent of white evangelical Protestants live in a household where at least one person owns a gun. One-in-three Catholics (31 percent) could say the same. Findings like the PRRI poll inform conversations about the link between religion and views on guns, but they can be misleading, said David Yamane, a sociologist of religion.
Many evangelicals are politically conservative and live in the south, factors that likely influence their views on gun control more than their faith. “Anytime we talk about religion generally, we misunderstand the situation. There’s a lot of nuance created by differences in religious beliefs, traditions and practices,” he said.
Daily American also covered this story.
May 31, 2016 | The Atlantic
Methodists from around the world are in Portland this week for their General Conference, a big meeting about church teachings and laws that happens every four years. This year, at least, the delegates aren’t focused on bureaucratic minutiae. They are considering whether gay and lesbian pastors should be ordained, and whether same-sex couples should be able to be married in the church. Depending on what they eventually choose, they may effectively decide whether the denomination should schism.
A lot of people don’t feel this way; during discussion at the Conference on Wednesday, many people urged the denomination toward unity. In some ways, this is in the DNA of the denomination. Its founder, John Wesley, “hated the idea of schism,” said Tom Frank, a professor at Wake Forest University who studies Methodism and is part of the denomination.
Wesley “was a huge advocate for differentiating essential and non-essential teachings,” he said, and his “biggest fear was that Methodism would be a ‘dead sect’ – almost exactly the pickle we’re in now,” Frank said. “Everyone goes to their separate camps. This is exactly what he hated most.”
Rocket News also covered this story.
May 31, 2016 | WFU News & Communications
The WFU News Center Media Report for May 17-27 is now available online.
May 17, 2016 | The New York Times
Graduates around the country are receiving diplomas and sending out résumés. An article this week described how job prospects differ greatly depending on whether you graduated from college or high school – or not at all. Two Wake Forest graduates shared their job-hunting experiences.
May 17, 2016 | TWC News
With spring comes college commencements taking place across the state and the nation. At Wake Forest University, nearly 1,900 degrees were handed out on Monday including over 1,000 undergraduate degrees.
Students at the university heard from Eboo Patel who’s contributed to the public conversation about religion in America. Patel is the author of books including “Acts of Faith.” He served on President Obama’s inaugural Faith Council.
“There’s something to be said for reaching the milestones you’ve set for yourself. There’s a lot more involved in re-charting your course when you miss them,’’ he said.
Wake Forest University’s Office of Communications and External Relations operates a fully equipped, professional television and radio studio to connect faculty members and campus newsmakers with global news media.