Arts and Society

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The epidemic of workplace unhappiness: new book
As the banking royal commission enters its final week of public hearings, a new book sheds light on how corrupt practices may have infected the entire workforce.
Leading Lights: Why we love scary stories
Why do audiences keep coming back to scary stories? What do we find in horror and the uncanny that keeps us glued to the page or screen in frightened delight? We chat with Dr Siobhan Lyons about flirting with darkness.
Five macabre things you didn't know about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
As Frankenstein turns 200 years old, Dr Kirstin Mills from the Department of English explores how the monstrous creation was inspired by the spooky real life of its author.
Review: Rome City+Empire at the National Museum of Australia
The Romans are here! Professor of Ancient History Ray Laurence unearths his top five historical treasures on display at the National Museum of Australia's new exhibition in Canberra.
Review: Crazy Rich Asians
This stereotype-transcending rom-com is long overdue, writes Asian-Australian Professor Sherman Young.
Meet Elias, trilingual at 3
The benefits of language education are vast, and yet in our multicultural society, we're lagging behind.
Review: The Merchant of Venice at Sydney's pop-up Globe Theatre
Groundlings may be fair game for exuberant banter from actors on stage but this new take on Shakespeare's story also gives us the chance to reflect on prejudice in modern-day Australia, writes English Professor Louise D'Arcens.
Shakespeare's English? Five ways you're speaking it daily
The Bard invented phrases we use to the point of cliche. With the pop-up Globe Theatre's Sydney season under way, English Professor Louise D'Arcens revisits the origins of some of his finest coinings.
The gender revolution of Generation Z
'He' or 'she' are just two of the options to express gender for a new generation discarding the idea that people are either male or female.
When trust is broken
The acrimony between former PM Malcolm Turnbull and senior Liberal figures is a classic example of how relationships rarely survive betrayal, whether they're personal, in business or political.
Introducing the five-minute pet
Yes, we love our dogs and cats, but there’s a whole world of wild animals out there that can enrich our daily lives, too, if we let them.
Australia’s population hits 25 million earlier than expected
This week on August 7, Australia’s population reached 25 million, more than two decades faster than predicted.