Thomas S. Davis
@thomassdavis.bsky.social
English/Env Hum/Analog Hum/Prof. The Extinct Scene: Late Modernism & Everyday Life (Columbia 2016). Finishing: Forming Attachments: Aesthetic Education & Ecological Crisis. Starting: Irrelevance: Art & Literature in the 21st Century.. www.thomassdavis.net
Reviews of my no tech, analog seminar were all positive: “this class gave me room to breathe,” “I loved not having screens in class,” “writing in our attention notebooks gave me space to think,” “this was the most immersive class I’ve ever taken,” “I felt like I could think freely,”l loved Sebald.”
December 23, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Reviews of my no tech, analog seminar were all positive: “this class gave me room to breathe,” “I loved not having screens in class,” “writing in our attention notebooks gave me space to think,” “this was the most immersive class I’ve ever taken,” “I felt like I could think freely,”l loved Sebald.”
It is worth noting that so many of these universities mandating AI are in states that liquidated DEI programs & made them illegal. Just in case you were unclear about the trajectory of “intellectual diversity” in higher ed, this is what it looks like.
They're not just requiring that students learn how to use the bullshit machine.
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
December 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM
It is worth noting that so many of these universities mandating AI are in states that liquidated DEI programs & made them illegal. Just in case you were unclear about the trajectory of “intellectual diversity” in higher ed, this is what it looks like.
We are under one of these impossible demands & I can tell you that one of the outcomes is backlash from undergraduates who will tell you (& Reddit & the school newspaper & anyone who will listen to them) that they don’t want the uni forcing AI on them (including the pop-up ChatGPT cafe on campus).
It's hard to overstate how impossible this demand is from Purdue's administration to implement these AI requirements by next fall. We are nowhere close to understanding what AI proficiency means or what it looks like in education.
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
December 14, 2025 at 3:55 PM
We are under one of these impossible demands & I can tell you that one of the outcomes is backlash from undergraduates who will tell you (& Reddit & the school newspaper & anyone who will listen to them) that they don’t want the uni forcing AI on them (including the pop-up ChatGPT cafe on campus).
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
⚡️NEW from @dropsitenews.com: "Ask Jeffrey": Epstein Ran Wexner's Pro-Israel Philanthropy Machine, Emails Reveal
The Wexner Foundation has long claimed Epstein had "did not make decisions regarding the use of Foundation’s funds.” New emails show that is...false.
open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
The Wexner Foundation has long claimed Epstein had "did not make decisions regarding the use of Foundation’s funds.” New emails show that is...false.
open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
"Ask Jeffrey": Epstein Ran Wexner's Pro-Israel Philanthropy Machine, Emails Reveal
The Wexner Foundation has long claimed Epstein "did not make decisions regarding the use of Foundation’s funds.” New emails show that is flagrantly false.
open.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:31 PM
⚡️NEW from @dropsitenews.com: "Ask Jeffrey": Epstein Ran Wexner's Pro-Israel Philanthropy Machine, Emails Reveal
The Wexner Foundation has long claimed Epstein had "did not make decisions regarding the use of Foundation’s funds.” New emails show that is...false.
open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
The Wexner Foundation has long claimed Epstein had "did not make decisions regarding the use of Foundation’s funds.” New emails show that is...false.
open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
These are the new state mandated questions that will appear at the end of our student evaluations. Just in case anyone was curious about the effects of right wing higher ed legislation in Ohio:
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
These are the new state mandated questions that will appear at the end of our student evaluations. Just in case anyone was curious about the effects of right wing higher ed legislation in Ohio:
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
The AAUP at Ohio State encourages all to attend this Tuesday event by Jewish Voice for Peace - Central Ohio @jvpcentralohio. We stand in solidarity with our colleague Tom Hayes of Ohio University who was removed from his teaching position after being detained in the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza.
November 18, 2025 at 3:07 AM
The AAUP at Ohio State encourages all to attend this Tuesday event by Jewish Voice for Peace - Central Ohio @jvpcentralohio. We stand in solidarity with our colleague Tom Hayes of Ohio University who was removed from his teaching position after being detained in the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza.
Homemade costume for Jevil from Deltarune for my 11 year old. His friends also went as video game characters & we saw some amazing Hollow Knight costumes.
October 31, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Homemade costume for Jevil from Deltarune for my 11 year old. His friends also went as video game characters & we saw some amazing Hollow Knight costumes.
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
The AI industry wants us to believe AI superintelligence is the real threat from generative AI.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
Generative AI is a societal disaster
Governments are deluding themselves into believing investment justifies allowing AI to upend society
disconnect.blog
October 24, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The AI industry wants us to believe AI superintelligence is the real threat from generative AI.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
This is very good & reads like a speculative autopsy of my own uni. I would add to this mix the privatization of public university infrastructure—parking, energy systems, etc—that was also done in the name of growth, all of it done un-(or anti-)-democratically.
I don’t think most people (including academics) realize just how screwed American universities are right now. Yes, the Trump attacks hurt. But the deeper crisis comes from the slow rot of a corporate mindset in university leadership that traded mission for growth. Let’s talk about that.
A 🧵
1/10
A 🧵
1/10
October 22, 2025 at 3:45 PM
This is very good & reads like a speculative autopsy of my own uni. I would add to this mix the privatization of public university infrastructure—parking, energy systems, etc—that was also done in the name of growth, all of it done un-(or anti-)-democratically.
This is also the case here and students in my async class are rightly concerned; my analog class though? Shit, we are just showing up on Wednesday to read Sebald together and talk about the poisoning of seas, fishery collapse,
& the use of hypotaxis to register the catastrophes of modernity.
& the use of hypotaxis to register the catastrophes of modernity.
October 20, 2025 at 9:38 PM
This is also the case here and students in my async class are rightly concerned; my analog class though? Shit, we are just showing up on Wednesday to read Sebald together and talk about the poisoning of seas, fishery collapse,
& the use of hypotaxis to register the catastrophes of modernity.
& the use of hypotaxis to register the catastrophes of modernity.
“Water neutrality”: Late capitalism has gotten so innovative that it has conjured “waterwashing” as a cover for its endless plunder: “AWS, Meta, Microsoft, and Google all have clear water neutrality goals.”
You absolute fools! Data centres only use 3 nanolitres of water per query*!!
Also please do not ask any questions about why companies are corruptly lobbying governments to kill off reporting requirements!!!!
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/cali...
Also please do not ask any questions about why companies are corruptly lobbying governments to kill off reporting requirements!!!!
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/cali...
California Governor vetoes data center water use bill - report
Newsom said he was "reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements"
www.datacenterdynamics.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:36 AM
“Water neutrality”: Late capitalism has gotten so innovative that it has conjured “waterwashing” as a cover for its endless plunder: “AWS, Meta, Microsoft, and Google all have clear water neutrality goals.”
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
October 17, 2025 at 12:16 PM
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
Writing retreat in the mountains of West VA is going well. I’m going to finish this fucking book & yes, until further notice, my preface poaches its title from this abandoned truck I saw in the Bakken: “Piece of Shit, Left for Dead.” I also scared two coyotes by accident on a hike in Canaan Valley.
October 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Writing retreat in the mountains of West VA is going well. I’m going to finish this fucking book & yes, until further notice, my preface poaches its title from this abandoned truck I saw in the Bakken: “Piece of Shit, Left for Dead.” I also scared two coyotes by accident on a hike in Canaan Valley.
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Ohio State changes policy on group conferences after Trump administration threats
A federal investigation into potentially discriminatory practices at Ohio State prompted the university to change its policies regarding conferences.
www.dispatch.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
The midterms from my analog upper level seminar; they’re brilliant & full of theories on the function of art
in the present while undertaking micro-scale formal analysis. An 80 minute class & no one left early. Print is a rent strike & a pedagogical asset for this moment. @mattseybold.bsky.social ✊🏼
in the present while undertaking micro-scale formal analysis. An 80 minute class & no one left early. Print is a rent strike & a pedagogical asset for this moment. @mattseybold.bsky.social ✊🏼
October 14, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The midterms from my analog upper level seminar; they’re brilliant & full of theories on the function of art
in the present while undertaking micro-scale formal analysis. An 80 minute class & no one left early. Print is a rent strike & a pedagogical asset for this moment. @mattseybold.bsky.social ✊🏼
in the present while undertaking micro-scale formal analysis. An 80 minute class & no one left early. Print is a rent strike & a pedagogical asset for this moment. @mattseybold.bsky.social ✊🏼
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
October 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
The University of Texas-Austin is beginning a process to eliminate the Black Studies, Latino Studies, and Gender Studies departments in the College of Liberal Arts. This is a grave threat to the educational liberty of students, faculty, staff, and the people of Texas. 1/
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
Matt Seybold joins Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson to discuss the political economy of literary criticism from past to present, amateur to professional.
Criticism LTD w/ Matt Seybold
Matt Seybold joins Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson to discuss the political economy of literary criticism from past to present, amateur to professional. Seybold is Associate Professor of American Lit…
moneyontheleft.org
October 13, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Matt Seybold joins Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson to discuss the political economy of literary criticism from past to present, amateur to professional.
Because they used to rip things off my office door or slide “Identity Europa”’materials underneath, I got a dry erase board so that it is very easy to clean up. I guess this is “viewpoint diversity”?
October 13, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Because they used to rip things off my office door or slide “Identity Europa”’materials underneath, I got a dry erase board so that it is very easy to clean up. I guess this is “viewpoint diversity”?
Something is shifting; cultural value is perceived, or felt, more & more to be asymmetrical with these platforms & the capitalist logic of engagement: “down with algorithmic listening, down with royalty theft, down with AI generated music.” As a child of the DIY 90s punk scene, I’m here for it.
‘Death to Spotify’: the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app
Musicians have long criticized the streaming service’s paltry payouts, but a new wave of boycotts is emerging
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Something is shifting; cultural value is perceived, or felt, more & more to be asymmetrical with these platforms & the capitalist logic of engagement: “down with algorithmic listening, down with royalty theft, down with AI generated music.” As a child of the DIY 90s punk scene, I’m here for it.
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
www.chronicle.com/article/view...
I didn’t choose the headline!! DM if you need a version that isn’t paywalled.
I didn’t choose the headline!! DM if you need a version that isn’t paywalled.
Viewpoint Diversity Is a MAGA Plot
Defenses of the policy miss the political point.
www.chronicle.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:18 PM
www.chronicle.com/article/view...
I didn’t choose the headline!! DM if you need a version that isn’t paywalled.
I didn’t choose the headline!! DM if you need a version that isn’t paywalled.
This was such a treat to be with @mattseybold.bsky.social @aprilanson.bsky.social @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social @jlb.bsky.social @natewolff.bsky.social( & others not on here?) to think through the knots of energy, aesthetics, politics & the hell we inhabit. Thanks Matt, Jeff, & Joe for having us.
Quarry Farm Symposium, my favorite event on our annual calendar, kicks off tonight with a discussion of everyday ecofascism with @aprilanson.bsky.social & Alexander Menrisky.
This year’s theme is Energy Studies, co-organized with @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social.
marktwainstudies.com/2025-quarry-...
This year’s theme is Energy Studies, co-organized with @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social.
marktwainstudies.com/2025-quarry-...
October 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
This was such a treat to be with @mattseybold.bsky.social @aprilanson.bsky.social @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social @jlb.bsky.social @natewolff.bsky.social( & others not on here?) to think through the knots of energy, aesthetics, politics & the hell we inhabit. Thanks Matt, Jeff, & Joe for having us.
Reposted by Thomas S. Davis
🚨🚨 My dear friend and fellow academic, the Palestinian American sociologist @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social has been taken by the Cook County Sheriff near Chicago. They have not mirandized her. Please signal boost. All eyes on Broadview for Eman and the community she was defending 🚨🚨
October 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
🚨🚨 My dear friend and fellow academic, the Palestinian American sociologist @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social has been taken by the Cook County Sheriff near Chicago. They have not mirandized her. Please signal boost. All eyes on Broadview for Eman and the community she was defending 🚨🚨
Looking forward to responding to this paper & hopefully initiating some discussion that is worthy of it.
Join us on Oct. 7 for our next seminar on modern America, "Crisis Politics and Everyday Life in "Middletown."" Authors @patcollier.bsky.social & James J. Connolly, with comments by @thomassdavis.bsky.social. Register: www.masshist.org/eve...
October 3, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Looking forward to responding to this paper & hopefully initiating some discussion that is worthy of it.
The slow civil war feels like it shifted to a higher gear in the last 24 hours or so.
September 30, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The slow civil war feels like it shifted to a higher gear in the last 24 hours or so.
We went into the hills and the caves and found large wolf spiders and something close to silence.
September 22, 2025 at 10:18 AM
We went into the hills and the caves and found large wolf spiders and something close to silence.