Academics & The Arts Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-20-2025

Whether you’re planning a trip to Germany or another German-speaking country, you’ve heard an unfamiliar German phrase and want to know what it means, or you just want to get into the spirit for your town’s annual Oktoberfest, knowing some basic German can give you the confidence you need. The first part of this Cheat Sheet includes basic German expressions, questions that let you gather information or ask for help, phrases to use when ordering from a menu, and German numbers and dates. The second part of this Cheat Sheet includes some basics of German grammar that can help you build your own sentences.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-20-2025

Whether you’re planning a trip to Germany or another German-speaking country, you’ve heard an unfamiliar German phrase and want to know what it means, or you just want to get into the spirit for your town’s annual Oktoberfest, knowing some basic German can give you the confidence you need. The first part of this Cheat Sheet includes basic German expressions, questions that let you gather information or ask for help, phrases to use when ordering from a menu, and German numbers and dates. The second part of this Cheat Sheet includes some basics of German grammar that can help you build your own sentences.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-19-2025

Any professional military commander will tell you that knowing your enemy is the first step in winning a battle. After all, how can you expect to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) if you don’t know what’s on the test? Here are some test-taking tips and key information about ASVAB test formats and subtests to help you score well, get into the service of your choice, and qualify for your dream job.

Article / Updated 02-28-2025

Just as you can mark the Moon’s position each night against the fixed stars and constellation patterns, you can mark the planets, too. The planets also make paths against the fixed stars. Over the course of a year, these paths join into one line that circles the entire sky. This line is known as the zodiac, and its more scientific name is the ecliptic. This ecliptic line passes through the signs of the zodiac, which comprises 12 familiar constellations as shown in the figure: Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpius Sagittarius Capricornus Aquarius Pisces Contrary to popular belief, however, the zodiac actually has 13 signs, not 12. The thirteenth sign is called Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of him – most people haven’t! He sits between Scorpius and Sagittarius, and so the Sun, Moon and planets all spend a bit of time in Ophiuchus each time they move around the sky. Whenever you see a planet, the Sun or the Moon in the sky, it always lies somewhere in one of the signs of the zodiac. You can find out where a planet is on the ecliptic by looking it up online – a search for ‘Jupiter position April’ should give you lots of websites that will tell you where to look for Jupiter in April. Alternatively, you may want to subscribe to an astronomy magazine. These monthly publications list all the planets that are up in the sky for the particular month, and feature maps that show you where to find them.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-27-2025

Practising with ukulele exercises helps you take your ukulele playing to the next level. Wherever you are in your ukulele playing career, the information in this Cheat Sheet helps you develop your chord playing still further.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-05-2024

Biomechanics has all kinds of practical applications — from the construction of running shoes to ankle braces to low-back pain to weightlifting. Knowing how the body moves because of the forces applied to the body is key to getting the most out of your athletic performance, and your daily life.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-15-2024

The Korean language stands out globally as one of the rare languages with its creation story on record — who made it, for whom, why, and how. Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, was developed in 1443 by King Sejong, who is revered as Korea’s most respected king, pretty much an icon in Korean history. His motivation behind creating Hangeul was to devise a written system that the commoners could easily master. Thanks to King Sejong’s pragmatism and his determination to empower the people, Korean readers and writers have a readily learnable language.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-13-2024

Botany is the study of plants. Plants are very similar to people in a lot of ways, but they also have some differences that can be hard to wrap your brain around. And, like any science class, botany can get a little overwhelming at times. So, here are a few items to help you grasp some of the big ideas in botany.

Article / Updated 10-28-2024

Women's suffrage was a controversial subject as women's roles developed in society. By the time the twentieth century arrived, American feminists had been seeking the right to vote for more than 50 years. The suffrage movement was fanned even hotter in 1869, when African American males were given the right to vote through the Sixteenth Amendment, while women of all races were still excluded. One place where women were increasingly included was in the workplace. As the country shifted away from a rural, agrarian society to an industrial, urban one, more and more women had jobs — eight million by 1910. Moreover, they were getting better jobs. In 1870, 60 percent of working women were in domestic service. By 1920, it was only 20 percent, and women made up 13 percent of the professional ranks. Women were getting out of the house for more than just jobs, too. In 1892, membership in women’s clubs was about 100,000. By 1917, it was more than one million. And women’s increasing independence was reflected in the fact that the divorce rate rose from 1 in every 21 marriages in 1880 to 1 in 9 by 1916. Because women had always had nontraditional roles in the West, it wasn’t surprising that Western states and territories were the first to give females the right to vote: Wyoming in 1869, Utah in 1870, Washington in 1883, Colorado in 1893, and Idaho in 1896. By 1914, all the Western states except New Mexico had extended the voting franchise to women. By 1917, the suffrage movement was building momentum. In July of that year, a score of suffragists tried to storm the White House. They were arrested and taken to the county workhouse. President Woodrow Wilson was not amused, but sympathetic, and pardoned them. The next year, a constitutional amendment — the Nineteenth — was submitted to the states. When ratified in 1920, it gave women the right to vote in every state. Despite the significance of the Nineteenth Amendment, many leaders of the women’s movement recognized that the vote alone wouldn’t give women equal standing with men when it came to educational, economic, or legal rights. “Men are saying, perhaps, ‘thank God this everlasting women’s fight is over,’” said feminist leader Crystal Eastman after the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. “But women, if I know them, are saying, ‘now at last we can begin.’”

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-30-2024

Writing a dissertation shouldn’t mean panicking. If you plan ahead and know how to structure your work, you’ll achieve fantastic results. And guess what? You might even enjoy yourself; writing a dissertation can be a highly rewarding experience. Follow this guide to producing the best possible dissertation.