Missouri State Journal

When you think “gothic,” you think about dark, foreboding, mysterious. In literature, it is all of those things. Dr. Heidi Backes says it is often constructed to tell a tale about the underlying sociopolitical environment or economy.

Backes, assistant professor in the modern and classical languages department at Missouri State University, shares about what you can see between the lines of these gothic tales.

In the state of Missouri, approximately 4.5% of students in schools are classified as English learners. Although this is half of the national average, it's a growing population. It presents unique challenges for teachers and others in the education system.

If you enjoy meeting people from other countries and learning about different cultures, consider being a host for the International Friends program at Missouri State University.

The program helps international students at Missouri State to develop quality friendships with American families in the area.

In star-studded Hollywood, Bobby Lewis hustled but had success. After being there about three years, tragedy hit his family. His mom, dad and younger sister were killed in a car accident.

Bobby Lewis, assistant professor in the department of media, journalism and film at Missouri State University, shares how this experience brought about magnificent change.

One hundred percent of living humans are aging every day. That shouldn't surprise any of us. But did you know that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day? By 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be older adults, which will meet or outnumber children.

Dr. Lisa Hall, coordinator of the Gerontology program within the psychology department at Missouri State University, is here to tell us how that demographic shift is changing the world we live in.