Timothy Ryan
@tjryan02.bsky.social
Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Navigare necesse est.
https://timryan.web.unc.edu/
https://timryan.web.unc.edu/
Time for student subject pools to make a comeback! 🚀
Important paper. So far most of the potential solutions I've seen mentioned (in-person surveys, high-quality/validated panels, address-based sampling) cost lots of money and will thus deepen divides based on resources. Something that we'll also need to grapple with.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/55uok...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/55uok...
November 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Time for student subject pools to make a comeback! 🚀
Not great, Bob.
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Not great, Bob.
Careful, folks. ChatGPT appears to be daydreaming today.
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Careful, folks. ChatGPT appears to be daydreaming today.
And the award for journalistic understatement of the year goes to…
October 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
And the award for journalistic understatement of the year goes to…
Something that the Santos commutation crystallizes for me is that Trump does not only *tolerate* corruption, such as when it serves his interests. (This would be bad enough.) He proactively rewards it, even when unrelated to his interests. (See also Eric Adams--a Democrat!)
October 18, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Something that the Santos commutation crystallizes for me is that Trump does not only *tolerate* corruption, such as when it serves his interests. (This would be bad enough.) He proactively rewards it, even when unrelated to his interests. (See also Eric Adams--a Democrat!)
At Harvard, students can register for two classes that meet at the *same time* because classes are Important and we’re Very Serious about education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...
Harvard Students Skip Class and Still Get High Grades, Faculty Say
www.nytimes.com
October 12, 2025 at 1:01 PM
At Harvard, students can register for two classes that meet at the *same time* because classes are Important and we’re Very Serious about education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...
AI tools helped me finish a replica of the regimental flag that my 3x great grandfather fought (and died) under during the Civil War. It's based on a photo of the deteriorated flag that I got from the New Jersey State Museum.
I like how it came out! And what it symbolizes.
I like how it came out! And what it symbolizes.
October 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
AI tools helped me finish a replica of the regimental flag that my 3x great grandfather fought (and died) under during the Civil War. It's based on a photo of the deteriorated flag that I got from the New Jersey State Museum.
I like how it came out! And what it symbolizes.
I like how it came out! And what it symbolizes.
Today's cute teaching example of the kind of policy that a federal bureaucrat would need to make: when a blind person hires someone to groom their seeing eye dog, is this a tax deductible medical expense? See below for the answer.
October 2, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Today's cute teaching example of the kind of policy that a federal bureaucrat would need to make: when a blind person hires someone to groom their seeing eye dog, is this a tax deductible medical expense? See below for the answer.
Nice mention of my Free Expression work, three paragraphs from the bottom.
The Myth of the Campus Snowflake
The students I encounter as a university president aren’t afraid of free speech—quite the contrary.
www.theatlantic.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Nice mention of my Free Expression work, three paragraphs from the bottom.
Apropos of nothing, here is a montage from the great 2008 series Generation Kill where John Sixta--the battalion yutz--bangs on and on about adherence to the "grooming standard." (NSFW)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQr9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQr9...
Sixta and the grooming standard
YouTube video by Taran Axethorpe
www.youtube.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Apropos of nothing, here is a montage from the great 2008 series Generation Kill where John Sixta--the battalion yutz--bangs on and on about adherence to the "grooming standard." (NSFW)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQr9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQr9...
You want my letter of recommendation to be answers to six questions that you came up with, and that are specific to your organization.
I want to write one general purpose letter that covers all the same substance and that I can upload to *any* organization.
We are not the same.
I want to write one general purpose letter that covers all the same substance and that I can upload to *any* organization.
We are not the same.
September 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM
You want my letter of recommendation to be answers to six questions that you came up with, and that are specific to your organization.
I want to write one general purpose letter that covers all the same substance and that I can upload to *any* organization.
We are not the same.
I want to write one general purpose letter that covers all the same substance and that I can upload to *any* organization.
We are not the same.
Reposted by Timothy Ryan
UNC Political Science is hiring in methods!
UNC has an amazing department and the triangle is a great place to live.
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Methods (Deadline Oct 24)
link to the posting👇
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
#polisky #psjobs #poliscijobs
UNC has an amazing department and the triangle is a great place to live.
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Methods (Deadline Oct 24)
link to the posting👇
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
#polisky #psjobs #poliscijobs
unc.peopleadmin.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
UNC Political Science is hiring in methods!
UNC has an amazing department and the triangle is a great place to live.
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Methods (Deadline Oct 24)
link to the posting👇
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
#polisky #psjobs #poliscijobs
UNC has an amazing department and the triangle is a great place to live.
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Methods (Deadline Oct 24)
link to the posting👇
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
#polisky #psjobs #poliscijobs
UNC is hiring in Political Methodology. Please spread the word and encourage people to apply.
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
Assistant Professor
This tenure-track position includes 40% teaching, 40% research and 20% service to the department/college. The service portion includes, but is not limited to search committees, review committees and a...
unc.peopleadmin.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:16 PM
UNC is hiring in Political Methodology. Please spread the word and encourage people to apply.
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
Happening at UNC.
Former Provost Sues UNC-Chapel Hill Trustees Over Closed Meetings
Chris Clemens accused the trustees of "hiding matters of grave public concern,” including tenure debates, using a Signal group and closed session.
www.theassemblync.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Happening at UNC.
I'll credit Thomas as a committed originalist when he points to the clause in the Constitution that grants the president near-blanket immunity from criminal prosecution.
![But you believe that all nine of the Justices are committed to liberalism of the sort that you outlined in your book and are trying to uphold it?
Yeah. Oh, yeah. I’m not going to name any names, but there is a conservative judge who did read the first couple of chapters of the book and did say, I agree with all of this.
Wow. I would just say that I find it very hard to believe, especially with Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who seem to me to be kind of out-and-out partisan Trump supporters.
This is completely fair to question. Alito is an extremely careful lawyer and a very precise judge. He is clearly taken with a certain view of our culture that is shared by many of Trump’s supporters. But is it possible to find an opinion in which he says, I’m going to go this way because the President is the law, or anything that verges on that? I think that’s very hard to find. Is there anything in his opinions that shows disrespect for freedom of speech or freedom of religion? I think that’s impossible to find. Thomas is an originalist. He’s the most committed originalist on the Court, who believes the Constitution should be understood in accordance with its original meaning. I don’t like that view much, but you can hold that view and be a liberal in the sense of believing in the rule of law, believing in freedom of speech. He does want to overrule New York Times v. Sullivan, but he’s not the only one who thinks that and that doesn’t make him illiberal. [That decision, from 1964, raised the standard for defamation lawsuits in a way that is seen as crucial to press freedom.] So I do agree with you. There are concerning things about political connections that appear, but in terms of the liberal tradition I’m not giving up on Justice Thomas.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hbpefio3f5csc44msmbgioxz/bafkreigt7atacnu2udxsrdz4v4nesd3ldcu6t7shnawcoqk4krrjn6rz44@jpeg)
September 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I'll credit Thomas as a committed originalist when he points to the clause in the Constitution that grants the president near-blanket immunity from criminal prosecution.
Of all the times in history that someone was handed $50,000 cash in a takeout bag, what percentage of them do you suppose were completely legitimate and above-the-board?
September 22, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Of all the times in history that someone was handed $50,000 cash in a takeout bag, what percentage of them do you suppose were completely legitimate and above-the-board?
Political violence is bad. That’s it. That’s the tweet. (Skeet.)
September 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Political violence is bad. That’s it. That’s the tweet. (Skeet.)
The surprising thing? It turns out that couples that last always select on the dependent variable.
August 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The surprising thing? It turns out that couples that last always select on the dependent variable.
Declaration of Independence: 1,320 words.
University-required statements on UNC course syllabi: 2,402 words.
curricula.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
University-required statements on UNC course syllabi: 2,402 words.
curricula.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
curricula.unc.edu
August 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Declaration of Independence: 1,320 words.
University-required statements on UNC course syllabi: 2,402 words.
curricula.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
University-required statements on UNC course syllabi: 2,402 words.
curricula.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
Neither here nor there, but I'm reading a bunch of open-ended survey responses about nuclear power and boy do a lot of people think that nuclear power produces air pollution. The stuff coming out of the big cooling towers is just steam!
August 18, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Neither here nor there, but I'm reading a bunch of open-ended survey responses about nuclear power and boy do a lot of people think that nuclear power produces air pollution. The stuff coming out of the big cooling towers is just steam!
Any suggested undergraduate readings providing an overview of Supreme Court processes--cert, criteria to hear a case, role of oral args, conferences, and written opinions--and maybe the shadow docket? I used to assign Gideon's Trumpet and it's just too dated. My intro class doesn't use a textbook.
July 28, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Any suggested undergraduate readings providing an overview of Supreme Court processes--cert, criteria to hear a case, role of oral args, conferences, and written opinions--and maybe the shadow docket? I used to assign Gideon's Trumpet and it's just too dated. My intro class doesn't use a textbook.
What percentage do you tip, for a pure takeout order from a restaurant?
July 25, 2025 at 3:43 PM
What percentage do you tip, for a pure takeout order from a restaurant?
Neat image from Gemini, when I asked it to generate an image for my Intro American course landing page--one that was sober, reflective, analytical, and philosophical. And having some Americana--but without being heavy-handed (with soaring eagles and so forth). (GPT did not deliver as well.)
July 25, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Neat image from Gemini, when I asked it to generate an image for my Intro American course landing page--one that was sober, reflective, analytical, and philosophical. And having some Americana--but without being heavy-handed (with soaring eagles and so forth). (GPT did not deliver as well.)
Worth re-upping today. You can always count on the so-called "deficit hawks" to cave like a spelunker who has fresh lamp batteries and something to prove.
If you count on the “deficit hawks” to disappoint you, you will never be disappointed.
July 3, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Worth re-upping today. You can always count on the so-called "deficit hawks" to cave like a spelunker who has fresh lamp batteries and something to prove.