Jen Hart
@jenhartphd.bsky.social
studies late antique religions; teaches first-year students & runs the first-year programs at my college; lots of other things
she/her/hers
she/her/hers
Reposted by Jen Hart
My hot take is that over the next 10 years, we're going to see more emphasis on and investment in the humanities at Ivy League and other fancy schools just as state schools and small privates continue to decimate and even eliminate the humanities.
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
bit.ly
November 23, 2025 at 4:13 PM
My hot take is that over the next 10 years, we're going to see more emphasis on and investment in the humanities at Ivy League and other fancy schools just as state schools and small privates continue to decimate and even eliminate the humanities.
Reposted by Jen Hart
If you are not in academia, you might not know this, but job interviews used to be held at conferences IN HOTEL ROOMS. Women candidates in a hotel room alone with often all-male committees. People sitting on beds! The horror stories I've heard.
I thing I sometimes thing about is that university departments were still doing job interviews in hotel rooms in the mid aughts
November 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
If you are not in academia, you might not know this, but job interviews used to be held at conferences IN HOTEL ROOMS. Women candidates in a hotel room alone with often all-male committees. People sitting on beds! The horror stories I've heard.
We are in the “is class cancelled today” phase of Canvas has been down all day. I have failed as an educator that my students think it is utterly impossible for us to have class when the LMS is broken
October 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM
We are in the “is class cancelled today” phase of Canvas has been down all day. I have failed as an educator that my students think it is utterly impossible for us to have class when the LMS is broken
As one might expect the lobsters have come to No Kings in Boston
October 18, 2025 at 3:13 PM
As one might expect the lobsters have come to No Kings in Boston
Reposted by Jen Hart
"More professors in the United States have been fired for controversial views in the past week than any other week in all of American history."
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Censorship Is the Authoritarian’s Dream
The right to free expression must include the right to say horrible and evil things.
www.insidehighered.com
September 19, 2025 at 10:24 AM
"More professors in the United States have been fired for controversial views in the past week than any other week in all of American history."
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Reposted by Jen Hart
“Debate Me” culture is not organic, endemic, or apolitical. This mode of high jacking discourse is and has been central to a 30-year conservative training program that has produced untold numbers of people to do this for every reason but “civil discourse”
It's wild to me how ostensibly smart people cannot/could not/will not see what is so obvious.
@mmasnick.bsky.social nails it. And my hunch is we'd be a better society if the Very Serious People with the Very Serious Ideas opened their fucking eyes.
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/17/t...
@mmasnick.bsky.social nails it. And my hunch is we'd be a better society if the Very Serious People with the Very Serious Ideas opened their fucking eyes.
www.techdirt.com/2025/09/17/t...
September 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“Debate Me” culture is not organic, endemic, or apolitical. This mode of high jacking discourse is and has been central to a 30-year conservative training program that has produced untold numbers of people to do this for every reason but “civil discourse”
This whole thread
look Charlie Kirk started, maintained, & promoted turning point usa’s professor watchlist
I’ve been on it for over a decade and until this year I was the *only* UVM professor on it which means
his life’s work = my death threats
I’ve been on it for over a decade and until this year I was the *only* UVM professor on it which means
his life’s work = my death threats
the media rush to canonize charlie kirk is legitimately maybe one of the weirdest things of this nature i have ever seen in my life
September 12, 2025 at 10:51 AM
This whole thread
Reposted by Jen Hart
Reposted by Jen Hart
No elected official Democratic party will be as cruel about Kirk's death as Mike Lee was about the death of Melissa Hortman.
wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/17/s...
wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/17/s...
September 10, 2025 at 11:05 PM
No elected official Democratic party will be as cruel about Kirk's death as Mike Lee was about the death of Melissa Hortman.
wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/17/s...
wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/17/s...
This 🧵
Alright, so I've been afraid to say this out loud, but I think after today, I can say it: In the first Battle of Los Angeles, the good people of LA County have prevailed. We beat ICE back. 1/
September 7, 2025 at 11:58 AM
This 🧵
Reposted by Jen Hart
THIS. It has hurt STEM students on the job front as much as it’s hurt humanities enrollments. We claim to be helping these students w focused ‘job ready’ degrees. It’s a lie. It has always been a lie.
(Not all, of course, but overall siloing stem students away from books and humanities, and more than that, convincing them those things are beneath them/obsolete, has done them a disservice. There just isn't really a way to learn critical thinking skills without, apart from lived experience.)
August 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
THIS. It has hurt STEM students on the job front as much as it’s hurt humanities enrollments. We claim to be helping these students w focused ‘job ready’ degrees. It’s a lie. It has always been a lie.
Reposted by Jen Hart
say it again:
4 million people work in higher ed, the largest employer in 10 states, second largest employer in 10 more, and in 60 of the 100 biggest cities
demolishing higher education is economic sabotage
4 million people work in higher ed, the largest employer in 10 states, second largest employer in 10 more, and in 60 of the 100 biggest cities
demolishing higher education is economic sabotage
It's important to note here that we're not just talking about faculty & university staff. 100s of U.S. colleges are in towns or small cities where they form the major industry & lifeblood of the community. Loss of students -> loss of rent $, restaurant $, bars, bookstores, gaming stores...
The US could see a 30-40% decline in new international student enrollment, resulting in nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 fewer American jobs. https://www.nafsa.org/fall-2025-international-student-enrollment-outlook-and-economic-impact
August 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
say it again:
4 million people work in higher ed, the largest employer in 10 states, second largest employer in 10 more, and in 60 of the 100 biggest cities
demolishing higher education is economic sabotage
4 million people work in higher ed, the largest employer in 10 states, second largest employer in 10 more, and in 60 of the 100 biggest cities
demolishing higher education is economic sabotage
Reposted by Jen Hart
Most reporting is just not up to the task of registering both that 1) the White House is *attacking* universities *as institutions* 2) the White House is working *with* universities’ boards to achieve *common goals* for remaking and weakening those institutions
Boards of Trustees ***LIKE*** the Trump demands. They ***AGREE*** with them.
They like the idea of putting the screws on activist, lefty, and Muslim students. They like the idea of a whiter student body and conservative curriculum. They want these things and think $200 million is a fair price.
They like the idea of putting the screws on activist, lefty, and Muslim students. They like the idea of a whiter student body and conservative curriculum. They want these things and think $200 million is a fair price.
July 29, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Most reporting is just not up to the task of registering both that 1) the White House is *attacking* universities *as institutions* 2) the White House is working *with* universities’ boards to achieve *common goals* for remaking and weakening those institutions
A seminar on Thoreau (excluding Walden) taught by a MacArthur fellow.
What was your favorite early clas NOT in your eventual major. Mine was Ethnomusicology: an introduction to folk music.
I invariably get, "Ooh anthro that was my favorite class/cool professor" from people I meet. I tend to think soms of it is our outré material, being willing to talk "taboo" subjects in a cross-cultural context.
Ironically MY favorite class was probably Geology 101...
Ironically MY favorite class was probably Geology 101...
July 28, 2025 at 1:35 PM
A seminar on Thoreau (excluding Walden) taught by a MacArthur fellow.
Reposted by Jen Hart
Matt Walsh's imaginary professor: "good morning student-comrades. today we learn how to bayonet a white Christian capitalist while taking trans hormones"
actual average professor: "folks, I am begging you, please do the reading for tomorrow this time. it is five pages"
actual average professor: "folks, I am begging you, please do the reading for tomorrow this time. it is five pages"
one of the things that gets me about so many of the pundits who pontificate about "higher education" when they really mean a handful of elite private institutions is that most of them live within driving distance of either a community college or a non-selective public institution
July 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Matt Walsh's imaginary professor: "good morning student-comrades. today we learn how to bayonet a white Christian capitalist while taking trans hormones"
actual average professor: "folks, I am begging you, please do the reading for tomorrow this time. it is five pages"
actual average professor: "folks, I am begging you, please do the reading for tomorrow this time. it is five pages"
Reposted by Jen Hart
There's something about the way men use LLMs that feel like those men at the strip club who believe that the dancers like them for their personality and wit.
They just want a toy that makes them feel good.
They just want a toy that makes them feel good.
![Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber who no longer works at the company, appeared on All-In to talk with hosts Jason Calacanis and Chamath Palihapitiya about the future of technology. When the topic turned to AI, Kalanick discussed how he uses xAI’s Grok, which went haywire last week, praising Adolf Hitler and advocating for a second Holocaust against Jews.
“I’ll go down this thread with [Chat]GPT or Grok and I’ll start to get to the edge of what’s known in quantum physics and then I’m doing the equivalent of vibe coding, except it’s vibe physics,” Kalanick explained. “And we’re approaching what’s known. And I’m trying to poke and see if there’s breakthroughs to be had. And I’ve gotten pretty damn close to some interesting breakthroughs just doing that.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qlnirjwff4ibiw3wchmleszo/bafkreiac2szurc5dnw6klquhpjmo7iafg4n6fwmrqyred7jrrph6h6mptq@jpeg)
July 16, 2025 at 4:19 AM
There's something about the way men use LLMs that feel like those men at the strip club who believe that the dancers like them for their personality and wit.
They just want a toy that makes them feel good.
They just want a toy that makes them feel good.
Reposted by Jen Hart
In a study of professors, women got 378 new work requests over 4 weeks vs 118 for men. Women spent more time on service, advising & teaching; men on research. Orgs should track who is taking extra duties & ensure they are rewarded and distributed fairly. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...
Being Too Helpful At Work Can Hurt Your Career—Here’s How To Say No
Women are more likely to take on behind-the-scenes duties at work—extra tasks like onboarding or event planning—and it's hurting their careers. Here's how to say no.
www.forbes.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM
In a study of professors, women got 378 new work requests over 4 weeks vs 118 for men. Women spent more time on service, advising & teaching; men on research. Orgs should track who is taking extra duties & ensure they are rewarded and distributed fairly. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...
Reposted by Jen Hart
UPDATE: The Indiana legislature announced that, across the state's public universities, it will immediately eliminate 75 programs, suspend/teach-out 101, and force 232 to consolidate or be eliminated. Not surprisingly, these closures disproportionately affect arts, humanities, and social science.
July 1, 2025 at 12:02 AM
UPDATE: The Indiana legislature announced that, across the state's public universities, it will immediately eliminate 75 programs, suspend/teach-out 101, and force 232 to consolidate or be eliminated. Not surprisingly, these closures disproportionately affect arts, humanities, and social science.
Reposted by Jen Hart
"Learn to code" was always bad advice, unless you actually like to code. College students have the best chance of professional success if they major in topics that interest them. Today in @startribune.com. Please tell high school students and parents.
www.startribune.com/what-should-...
www.startribune.com/what-should-...
Opinion: College students, go ahead and major in what you love
"The lesson here is simple: Major in what you love, not what you think will get you a job," David M. Perry writes.
www.startribune.com
June 25, 2025 at 2:24 PM
"Learn to code" was always bad advice, unless you actually like to code. College students have the best chance of professional success if they major in topics that interest them. Today in @startribune.com. Please tell high school students and parents.
www.startribune.com/what-should-...
www.startribune.com/what-should-...
Reposted by Jen Hart
****majors are not the only metric of a department or program’s value****
This is very, very bad.
A new state law will likely force the closure of hundreds of low-enrollment programs at Indiana University. The cutoff is 15 graduates/year for undergrad majors, 7 for Masters programs, and 3 for PhD programs, averaged over 3 years.
wfiunews.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/h...
A new state law will likely force the closure of hundreds of low-enrollment programs at Indiana University. The cutoff is 15 graduates/year for undergrad majors, 7 for Masters programs, and 3 for PhD programs, averaged over 3 years.
wfiunews.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/h...
Hundreds of IU degree programs at risk of disappearing
By Ethan Sandweiss Indiana University could lose hundreds of degree programs as part of compliance with an array of new laws affecting higher education that passed at the 11th hour of the legislati…
wfiunews.wordpress.com
June 24, 2025 at 11:47 PM
****majors are not the only metric of a department or program’s value****
Reposted by Jen Hart
Our country needs to be stopped
June 22, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Our country needs to be stopped
Reposted by Jen Hart
Ed Tech is a Trojan horse for tech elite capture of public resources. Every time.
Twenty years in education and I have seen so many things that were going to "save teachers time" and then it got weaponized into "if you don't use this, you're ruining your students' future" and usually when that mindless zealousness comes around it's less than a year for that tech to collapse.
June 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Ed Tech is a Trojan horse for tech elite capture of public resources. Every time.
Reposted by Jen Hart
People need to understand, talk to the historians, when the government is putting hands on their opposition in the government, that's deep totalitarianism. That's what any brutal scary empire ruled by an autocrat from the ages looks like. So wake up if you think the America you live in is not that.
June 12, 2025 at 6:28 PM
People need to understand, talk to the historians, when the government is putting hands on their opposition in the government, that's deep totalitarianism. That's what any brutal scary empire ruled by an autocrat from the ages looks like. So wake up if you think the America you live in is not that.
Reposted by Jen Hart
So ICE is now more powerful than a sitting US senator? I hope every democrat congressperson stands up for their colleague and demands accountability for what happened to Alex Padilla. They won’t but I wish they would.
June 12, 2025 at 6:49 PM
So ICE is now more powerful than a sitting US senator? I hope every democrat congressperson stands up for their colleague and demands accountability for what happened to Alex Padilla. They won’t but I wish they would.