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  • EDUCATION

    Are Australian universities sacrificing teaching quality for research prestige? Discuss.

    • Erica Cervini
    • 21 January 2025

    Top Australian universities, including the Go8, are underperforming in teaching quality, with recent surveys revealing student dissatisfaction and disengagement. Despite their research reputation, top institutions are failing to meet student expectations, highlighting the need for urgent reform to improve teaching standards.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    To have and have yacht

    • Barry Divola
    • 21 January 2025

    There’s no genre more sun-drenched or divisive than yacht rock, the smooth, sultry sounds of 70s and 80s soft rock. But as a new documentary shows, even its biggest architects, like Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, aren’t always on board. So, what is yacht rock, and why can’t we all agree?   

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Why did English departments abandon ideas for ideology?

    • Liza Libes
    • 17 January 2025

      In universities worldwide, English departments teach theory rather than literature, using art to serve ideological ends. But how did this happen, and what is lost when we sacrifice moral and cultural depth to the demands of ideological conformity?

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  • RELIGION

    On 'getting' the synod

    • Richard Lennan
    • 19 December 2024

    Is the synod a parliament, a shareholder meeting, or something wholly unique? How we frame it shapes our understanding of its purpose and outcomes. Beyond analogies, could the true essence of synodality lie in embracing grace and discernment, re-centering the church on its divine mission?

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Silent Night, from hymn to hype

    • Simon Smart
    • 19 December 2024

    Modern advertisements blend artistry and manipulation, tugging our heartstrings while selling us things we didn’t think we needed. Take the Austrian financial giant Erste’s annual Christmas ad, which this year chronicles the history of 'Silent Night.' It's breathtaking — until its message makes a baffling twist.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Falling, flying and the weight of the world

    • Barry Gittins
    • 18 December 2024

    As airports swell with holiday travellers chasing far-flung reunions and tropical getaways, a paradox looms above the tarmac: while we demand action on climate change, few are ready to ground themselves. Flight represents humanity’s defiance of limits — an act of freedom, wonder, and consequence. Can we balance soaring ambitions with planetary survival?

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Books, screens, and holiday dreams

    • Juliette Hughes
    • 18 December 2024

    In a year defined by uneven cultural offerings, books stood tall while cinema faltered and television treaded water. From Alexander Armstrong’s enchanting Evenfall to Patricia Briggs’ mystical Winter Lost, the literary landscape offered gems aplenty. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Mary proved a thunderous flop, and Barbie charmed in pink. Let the debates begin.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    A Man on the Inside asks: What does it mean to stay connected as we age?

    • Daniel Herborn
    • 18 December 2024

    In A Man on the Inside, Ted Danson’s Charles brings wit and warmth to a retirement home whodunit with a poignant edge. Created by Mike Schur (The Good Place), this Netflix gem artfully blends comedy, mystery, and social commentary, exploring the ache of loss, the joy of purpose, and the profound value of connection.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The delight and discomfort of undeserved gifts

    • Emma Wilkins
    • 18 December 2024

    Gift-giving should be a celebration of kindness, but modern rituals often entangle us in obligation and excess. From generous neighbours to Christmas present hauls, reciprocal gifts build and shape our relationships. But what does it mean to give without strings?

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  • INFORMATION

    Christmas raffle winners announced

    • Staff
    • 18 December 2024

    Society of Jesus in Victoria–Jesuit Communications Christmas Raffle 2024. Raffle drawn on Wednesday 11 December 2024. All winners have been notified. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone for your support.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Sanmao and the priest

    • Margaret Simons
    • 13 December 2024

    High in Taiwan’s mountains, Jesuit priest Barry Martinson found a soulmate in celebrated author Sanmao, who inspired millions with her writing. Their relationship—neither romantic nor conventional—was a profound meeting of kindred spirits, rooted in shared curiosity, literary love, and the sacrificial essence of friendship.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Friendship in freefall: Unpacking a crisis of civic disconnection

    • David Halliday
    • 13 December 2024

    In 2024, a fifth of Americans reported having no close friends, and the number is growing, especially among those without college degrees. So what are the societal structures behind this crisis in loneliness, and how we can rebuild meaningful connections?

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