by Robin Kirk | Jun 17, 2014 | featured, Robin Kirk
In Northern Ireland, opposing pro-England and pro-Ireland flags have grimly marked territory for decades, showing who is welcomed and who might be refused service—or beaten. But this month, even the hardest of the island’s hard men are lifting their pints in pubs...
by Robin Kirk | Jun 4, 2014 | Robin Kirk
… the more they change even more, I could add to the title of this post. When I’m in Northern Ireland writing or setting up my DukeEngage program, I’m often preoccupied with the past. This year, I’ve been thinking about the 1800s a lot. In...
by Robin Kirk | May 3, 2014 | Robin Kirk
It’s great that the president has announced an effort to review how the death penalty is applied in the United States. The botched execution in Oklahoma merits more than a state-level response. Across the country, the number of states that apply the death...
by Robin Kirk | Mar 11, 2014 | Robin Kirk
College-age people often make risky calls, as any teacher or parent can attest. It’s part of being young—experimenting with boundaries, with personas, with, well, everything. It’s also biological: In humans, the frontal lobes, where we gain the ability to recognize...
by Robin Kirk | Feb 27, 2014 | featured, Robin Kirk
(From the February 28 Raleigh News and Observer) Duke University is buzzing about an interview in the campus paper that revealed to the world what every student already knew. A freshman is a porn actress. Someone (of course) recognized her. “Lauren,” as she calls...
by Robin Kirk | Feb 12, 2014 | featured, Robin Kirk
Too often, the human rights world seems replete with only bad news. Maybe that’s usually true (let’s be real). But sometimes, we get a win. It happened this week, in the US state of Washington. There, Governor Jay Inslee halted executions. This underscores...
