re:verb Podcast

E24: re:blurb - Genre — re:verb In this re:blurb episode, we explore the history and theory of the rhetorical concept of genre. First, we take a tour through the classical genres of forensic, deliberative, and epideictic speech, bef...

Adding to this list because we just found out our friend @marthasuephd.bsky.social is on BlueSky! Check out our episode with Martha from all the way back in 2019, where we discuss Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" as an instance of hyper-online genre-bending:

We also discuss the AI hype cycle in higher ed, the validity of arguments about job market prospects for humanities grads, the vital importance of studying literature and culture for their own sake, and the ongoing need for Cultural Studies' tradition of critique against the neoliberal academy

Innovation for What? The Politics of Inequality in Higher Education - Dissent Magazine Today's embrace of “innovation” in higher ed advances the interests of the business elite over those of educators or students.

In our conversation, we discuss the broader implications of this change: what it signals for Literary and Cultural Studies as a discipline in the US, as well as the conspicuous use of the word "innovation" to launder controversial administrative changes with a seemingly apolitical positive spin

The article examines the CMU English department's decision to shutter its long-standing Literary and Cultural Studies PhD program and replace it with a program called "Computational Cultural Studies," which has been met with confusion and alarm from many program alumni and current students

Opinion | A Coup at Carnegie Mellon? The university is replacing the humanities with more computers.

On today's show, we sit down with Catherine Evans and Sheila Liming to discuss their widely shared op-ed in the Chronicle of Higher Ed last month - "A Coup at Carnegie Mellon? The University is Replacing the Humanities with More Computers"

www.chronicle.com/article/a-co...

E106: CMU Coup? (w/ Sheila Liming & Catherine Evans) — re:verb On today’s show, Alex and Calvin sit down with the co-authors of a viral op-ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education regarding the controversial restructuring of the English Department at Carnegie Me...

🎆re:verb is back in 2026 with our first new episode of the year!🎉

This episode hits very close to home for Calvin & Alex:

E106: CMU Coup? (w/ @caevans.bsky.social & @seeshespeak.bsky.social)

www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

Many are saying it, folks: The best podcast in the history of podcasts is over here now 👋🏻 There’s even a brand new episode!

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Since we're new over here, we've been re-posting some of our favorite episodes featuring friends & past guests we've had on the show who have found a home on BlueSky.

It's also a good starter pack for anyone new to the show!

Here's a master 🧵...

E84: Toward a Media Theory of the U.S.-Mexico Underground (w/ Dr. Juan Llamas-Rodriguez) — re:verb On today’s show, Ben sits down with Dr. Juan Llamas-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss his research at the intersect...

In the fall of 2023, @bkwilliams21.bsky.social sat down with @llamasjr.bsky.social to discuss his book _Border Tunnels: A Media Theory of the US-Mexico Underground_ and the politics surrounding media depictions of border infrastructure and immigration
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E92: Academic Organizing and Palestinian Solidarity (w/ Olivia Wood) — re:verb On today’s show, Alex is joined by Olivia Wood, a lecturer in the English Department at City College of New York (CCNY) to discuss the recent escalations of force by the NYPD and campus administrators...

In May of 2024, following police crackdowns on Palestinian solidarity protests at colleges across NYC, @oliviawood.bsky.social joined us to discuss the rhetorical strategies used by student organizers to advocate for disclosure and divestment on their campuses
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E89: Distance and Suffering in News Reporting (w/ John Oddo, Cameron Mozafari, & Alex Kirsch) — re:verb On today’s show, Calvin and Alex sit down with the co-authors of a hot-off-the-presses article in Discourse & Society about journalistic reporting on US drone strikes in the Middle East: Dr. Joh...

... and again in 2024 to discuss his co-authored article on how distance and suffering are rhetorically registered in news reporting on US drone strikes in the Middle East.

www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E40: Presidential rhetoric, unmasked (w/ Dr. Cameron Mozafari) — re:verb The president and his administration use rhetoric every day in speeches, press conferences, and written texts like executive orders and proclamations, but the material effects of this discourse can so...

We've also been graced on multiple occasions by our friend @world-on-a-wire.bsky.social, first to discuss his corpus linguistic analyses of Trump's rhetoric during the early days of COVID-19...
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E59: The Power and Perils of Monstrosity (w/ Dr. Bernadette Calafell) — re:verb It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time for another thrilling and chilling re:verb Halloween Special! This year, Alex and Calvin are honored to be joined on the mic by Dr. Bernadette ...

In another Halloween special in 2021, we sat down with the amazing @bernadettecalafell.bsky.social to discuss her work on the power and perils of *monstrosity* in academia, popular culture, and politics
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E64: "Rationality" Bites - Steven Pinker's Disciplinary Drift (w/ Dr. Nathan Pensky) — re:verb In his most recent book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters , Harvard University cognitive psychologist and noted Jeffrey Epstein associate Steven Pinker argues that “ration...

Our friend and fellow CMU PhD alum @nathanpensky.bsky.social joined us in 2022 to discuss his incisive critical review of Steven Pinker's _Rationality_, and the general tendency of "disciplinary drift" in his work as a whole
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E61: A Cinema of Hopelessness (w/ Dr. Kendall R. Phillips) — re:verb Look upon these films, ye mighty, and despair! In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back Dr. Kendall R. Phillips, Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University - this...

www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...

E29: The Rhetoric of Horror Cinema w/ Kendall Phillips — re:verb Today we have the distinct privilege of discussing horror cinema, culture, and politics with Kendall Phillips, professor in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse Universit...

Another power-guest on the show has been @krp.bsky.social, who joined us for TWO Halloween episodes (in 2019 and 2021) to discuss the rhetoric of horror cinema, past and present (2019 episode linked below, 2021 episode in the next post)
www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/201...

E79: Legitimizing Situated Knowledge in East Palestine, Ohio (w/ Sophie Wodzak & Dr. Erin Brock Carlson) — re:verb On February 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. Fearing an explosion, emergency crews conducted a co...

Back in the Spring of 2023, @erinbrockcarlson.bsky.social joined the show to discuss her work on rural advocacy and environmental justice in the wake of the East Palestine, OH chemical spill

www.reverbcast.com/podcasts/202...