I see a new article nearly every week about the state of higher education due to the rise of generative AI. These are mostly pessimistic articles, and they definitely carry some truth. Still, in a broader perspective, I cannot help but think that higher education/academia was in trouble before generative AI. The latter pushes it … Read more
Episode 4: The Administrator Problem—More Royalist Than the King Episode 1- The Performance of Transparency Episode 2 – The Theater of Scholarly Collegiality Episode 3- The Q1 Journal Fetish Think of a curriculum reform meeting where the university administrator unveiled a new “strategic excellence framework.” The presentation featured organizational charts, key performance indicators, and deliverables. The word … Read more
A few days ago, I was invited to serve as a panelist at a RESAID project (“Creating Societal Cognitive Resilience Against Information Disorders – RESAID”) event. This EU-funded project has substantive online course content and has developed a few online games related to disinformation issues. The panel was reported by AA as well. Here are … Read more
New international student enrollment in the U.S. dropped by 17 percent this fall compared to last year, according to multiple sources including Inside Higher Ed, the Institute of International Education (IIE), and Higher Ed Dive. This decline is attributed to recent changes in U.S. immigration and visa policies under the Trump administration, which have made … Read more
Episode 3: The Q1 Journal Fetish Episode 1- The Performance of Transparency Episode 2 – The Theater of Scholarly Collegiality A colleague proudly announced his latest publication, adding Q1 even before the title. I see self-promotional Instagram posts that mention the Q number, mostly Q1. This moment crystallized something I’ve observed throughout my career in Turkish … Read more
I saw an Intercept news (YouTube Quietly Erased More Than 700 Videos Documenting Israeli Human Rights Violations) and remembered a few previous cases that Human Rights Organizations complain about: There have been numerous documented cases in which social media platforms, especially YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, have deleted content that served as critical evidence of human … Read more
As I always state, I am lucky to be one of the convenors of STS Turkiye, a platform for social scientists focused on Science and Technology Studies. While the political agenda is always hectic and chaotic, we work to coordinate STS-related studies that are distracted by it. Call for Papers The STS Turkey 2025 Conference … Read more
Zohran Mamdani’s historic mayoral victory in New York City is notable not only as a milestone for representation but for how he challenged both the Democratic establishment and Donald Trump’s threats, signaling a pivotal moment in American urban politics.bbc+3 Challenging the Democratic Establishment Mamdani’s win was a major upset for the city’s entrenched political elites. … Read more
The new Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS3) Report, “Journalism under duress”, is now available – https://www.worldsofjournalism.org/reports-wjs3/ Drawing on responses from over 32,000 journalists in 75 countries, this report examines how journalists across the globe navigate risk, uncertainty, and transformation in today’s rapidly changing media landscape. Supported by UNESCO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the International … Read more
As noted in the first episode, this series is based on my observations in many different settings, not necessarily happening in my own department. In fact, I am relatively lucky to be there, exposed to fewer troubles than I usually observe. “These meetings are so valuable,” a colleague proclaimed at the conclusion of yet another … Read more
Key Insights for Why Western Designs Fail in Developing Countries by Merlin AI Cultural Misunderstandings in Design – Designers often fail to grasp the cultural nuances of the communities they aim to serve, leading to designs that do not resonate with local needs. – The Neon Nurture incubator, despite its innovative features, was perceived as … Read more
Global reactions to Israel’s interception and attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla have been overwhelmingly critical, with widespread condemnation, protests, and calls for accountability from governments, international organizations, and civil society across multiple continents.wikipedia+2 Continuously updated Wikipedia entry: Global Sumud Flotilla Widespread Protests Protests erupted immediately in cities across Europe (including Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, Brussels, and … Read more
Intentionally or not, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has publicly blamed US congressional restrictions for stalling the delivery of the necessary engines, threatening to delay serial production of the KAAN jet, which was promoted as another artifact of the Turkish sovereign defense industry. Although experts were already aware of the engine issue, many lay citizens … Read more
Dear readers, One’s deadline is already here, and the other’s soon. I can still accept if you are a few days late. Here is the full post. Here is the post for this one, which is due for 15 October.
I have revised my syllabus and replaced some readings with more recent ones. I like to frequently update my readings so that I can stay current with the latest research. I might have missed some topics, but I am satisfied with what I have come up with. There has been a rising- and unsurprising- interest … Read more