Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · 1d

My department - at NC State, in Raleigh - is hiring this season - for a junior sociologist focused on law/crime/social control. Please spread the word among interested ABDs, postdocs, and junior scholars!

Assistant Professor of Sociology (Criminology): jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/223...

Assistant Professor of Sociology

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology is accepting applications for a tenure-trackassistant professor of Sociology with a focus on criminology to begin Fall 2026.The successful candidate should...

jobs.ncsu.edu

6 10

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · 3d

This is one way to do it

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 3d

Thirty paintings created by the bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be up for auction to defray the costs of programming for small and rural public television stations suffering under cuts in federal funding. https://to.pbs.org/4nEQMrw

Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to support public TV stations after federal funding cuts

All profits will help public TV stations with licensing fees for popular programs that include "The Best of Joy of Painting" and "America's Test Kitchen."

www.pbs.org

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4d

My new op-ed with @lkfazio.bsky.social:

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

8 200 570

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · 4d

Even crayons!

www.dailydot.com/news/differe...

Video demonstrates the decline in quality of Crayola crayons over the span of 8 years

A TikToker compared the quality of white Crayola crayons from 2017 and today, and the clear drop has artists seeing red.

www.dailydot.com

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · 5d

soc of consumption x100000 - I've been glad to have the term enshittification as part of my vocab for the last few years
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?

Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...

www.theguardian.com

1 3

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 9d

People think they’re taking down a rich intellectual sinecure but they’re mostly terrorizing committed public servants who make $58,000 a year after 15 years of experience at a school that has to budget creatively so students can access textbooks.

Emily Farris @emayfarris.bsky.social · 9d

This new column by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social makes me think about when I recently had to talk to the police for yet another safety plan, I tried to “lighten” the mood by saying that we all knew this wasn’t my first rodeo. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

For at least the past 15 years, my colleagues in academia have grappled with angry letters to university officials for doing their jobs. They have weathered campaigns for their firing. They have contended with an internet army obsessed with doxxing them, their parents, their kids. I’ve been contacted by the F.B.I. more than once in my career. Not because I hold any important state secrets or know a biker gang but because one of my colleagues has lived with so much sustained harassment from right-wing “activists” that it has become a matter of federal concern. Watch lists (one of which was constructed by Kirk’s organization) do not distinguish between public intellectuals at wealthy enclaves and hoi polloi who teach popular classes at cash-strapped schools. In either case, an army of trained provocateurs stands ready to destroy their lives to prove their bona fides as conservative activists.

4 320 1K

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Kip Kosek @kipkosek.bsky.social · 10d

Very astute essay by @jenniferreich.bsky.social explaining vaccine hesitancy as part of a broader individualistic approach to health
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...

Opinion | What Really Drives Vaccine Hesitancy

www.nytimes.com

3 2

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Sarah Brayne @sarahbrayne.bsky.social · 10d

Stanford Sociology is fortunate to have an open senior search this year! More info in the job announcement here: facultypositions.stanford.edu/cw/en-us/job...

Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Senior appointment in the Department of Sociology at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor

facultypositions.stanford.edu

17 20

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Rene Almeling @ralmeling.bsky.social · 10d

Yale Sociology is hiring an associate or full professor in quantitative sociology. Come work with me! Applications open tomorrow. Details available here:

apply.interfolio.com/174709

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

apply.interfolio.com

25 26

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Gergely Orosz @gergely.pragmaticengineer.com · 21d

Those on an H1B cannot return to the US from tomorrow (Sunday) unless paying $100K. This is an out-of-the blue presidential action. We’ll see software engineers stranded abroad.

One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.

95 410 1.2K

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Aug 21

New job ad: Assistant Professor of Quantitative Social Science, Dartmouth College apply.interfolio.com/172357

Please share with your networks. I am the search chair and happy to answer questions!

2 170 180

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Kathleen Broussard @kbroussard.bsky.social · Sep 8

TWO new Assistant Professor positions in Sociology at USC! Seeking candidates with expertise in the following: 1) Institutions & Inequalities and 2) Socially Informed AI and/or Data Science (links to job ads below👇). Happy to talk about what it's like to work/live here! #sociology (1/3)

2 42 38

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · Sep 3

When people say "We used to drink raw milk from our own cow and it was fine,"

That's... usually not the case!

In families w their own cow, the mom usually boiled it before using.

We just forgot bc that's a boring chore that mom did. And who pays attention to that?

youtu.be/vKDPast9WFk

"Everyone Drank Raw Milk!" No They Didn't

YouTube video by Farm to Taber

youtu.be

260 2.4K 8.3K

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Carlos Noreña @carlosfnorena.bsky.social · Aug 28

NEW: Tenure-track position in History at UC Berkeley in the GLOBAL HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY.

We are casting a wide net here: *all* periods, places, and fields are under consideration.

I'm on the search committee, so do let me know if you have questions.

Assistant Professor – Global History of Technology - Department of History

University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!

aprecruit.berkeley.edu

7 250 380

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · Aug 27

Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...

Opinion | Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis.

www.nytimes.com

2

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · Aug 20

Happy to be a part of this edited volume, now out!
#foodstudies
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/elg...

Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society

‘The best educational texts do not lead but rather gesture. They choose to show instead of tell. This book exemplifies that approach. Food is political. I believe this claim is best illustrated throug...

www.e-elgar.com

2

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Venus Bivar @vbivar.bsky.social · Aug 14

For all of the educators trying to deal with AI, I did a deep dive in early June and these are the four articles I decided to assign to my students.

1. This is the longest of the bunch, but so wonderfully comprehensive.

www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...

We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard.

The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn’t tracking and consider where it’s heading next.

www.technologyreview.com

40 170 380

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · Aug 8

useful for teaching, students, and advocating to legislators, especially:
www.whysocialscience.com

Why Social Science?

www.whysocialscience.com

2

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Ken Chih-Yan Sun @kcsun1015.bsky.social · Jul 18

Villanova University, where I am currently working, has a position in digital sociology and/or STS studies. I am not on the search committee and happy to answer any questions you may have.

www.higheredjobs.com/state/detail...

www.higheredjobs.com

11 12

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Leafia Ye @leafiaye.bsky.social · Jul 16

🚨 Job alert: The Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto is hiring an Assistant Professor in the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity.
jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...

I'll be at ASA and would be happy to chat with interested candidates. Please share widely! #Socsky

1 89 130

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · Jul 16

Excellent explainer on data centers @stpp-um.bsky.social to help communities understand them, their challenges, and policy options to manage their risks. Written by Terry Nguyen BA '25 @umfordschool.bsky.social and @benzevgreen.bsky.social, in partnership w/ Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

What Happens When Data Centers Come to Town?

stpp.fordschool.umich.edu

27 66

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · Jul 15

I've been teaching at Princeton over the same period and the drop-off in reading stamina has been staggering.

I'm not sure of the cause -- some blame K-12 shifts to "chunk reading" while others pin it on COVID -- but it's undeniable.

Carlos Noreña @carlosfnorena.bsky.social · Jul 15

I'm entering my 25th year in the job, having taught for 4 years at Yale and 20 at Berkeley.

The clearest trendline in my experience (fwiw) is the *dramatically* diminished willingness or capacity of undergrads to read. I used to assign 150 pp./week. Closer to 40 now—and even that is aspirational.

300 380 2.1K

Reposted by Michaela DeSoucey

Amy Diehl, Ph.D. @amydiehl.bsky.social · Jul 7

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

31 600 1.5K

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · Jul 7

I am very flexible for students who have problems, get sick, etc. VERY. perhaps too.

1

Michaela DeSoucey @mdesoucey.bsky.social · Jul 7

my class this fall is 35 and there is LOTS of in-class discussion/exercises - so very obvious when a few, let alone half, are missing. I've heard about problems - and classrooms emptying throughout the semester - for classes small and large.

1