Sepehr Vakil

cool idea!!

Chicagoans: Wednesday at Nabala Cafe. My friend @sepehrvakil.bsky.social will be discussing his new co-authored book on a group of Iranian engineering students in the years leading up to the 1979 revolution, in conversation with actor & stand-up comedian Rami Abushhab. I'll be introducing the event.

lol!!

I’m taking one for the team and dressing up as Donatello for Halloween. Objectively speaking, the least desirable Ninja Turtle. This is what sacrificing for your children looks like folks.

The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to acquire TikTok and his family could soon own both Paramount and Warner Bros.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?

thanks so much for letting us know !

YouTube video by PCWB: Professor & a Comedian Walk into a Bar Algorithms of Oppression with Safia Noble, Phd.

New episode of PCWB is live with Professor Safiya Noble, Ph.D. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiEu...

Chicago Is Pushing Back Against Trump The spectacular repression of ICE is leading ordinary residents of the Windy City to protest and activism

Lots of friends and family have reached out asking about what the hell is going on in Chicago. See my friend @dannypostel.bsky.social recent essay in New Lines Magazine. newlinesmag.com/reportage/ch...

My quick take on the Riyadh comedy festival And debuting at Zanies tonight!

My quick take on the Riyadh comedy festival
open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

Our SXSW 2026 Proposals: AI in Education and Comedy as Public Dialogue Community voting closes on August 24.

I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future of AI in education, and about the role of comedy in our public discourse. We are trying to bring both of these conversations to #SXSW2026. Would appreciate everyone's support! Please vote and share. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-sxsw-2...

The lesson here is to litigate, not cower.

that part

The magic and misery of camping with kids At the risk of stating the obvious, I was reminded this weekend that parenting is not always about enjoying yourself in the moment.

I went camping with my boys, my mom, and some friends at Kankakee River State Park this past weekend. It was hot, buggy, sweaty, sticky, and the bathrooms were a crime scene. It was miserable but also magical. Parents know what I’m talking about.
sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/the-magic-...

The cover of the book "Literacies in the Platform Society: Histories, Pedagogies, and Possibilities" edited by T. Philip Nichols and Antero Garcia.

The chapter abstract. The abstract reads, "This chapter takes up the question of how we understand “literacies” in relation to platform technologies—and specifically, the benefits or drawbacks of extending the term to include competencies related to platformization. Merging insights from sociocultural literacy studies and computer science education research on “computational literacies,” we argue that there are both institutional and pragmatic challenges for literacy researchers to consider in choosing the terminology they use. Institutionally, while the interest of STEM fields in adopting the language of “literacy” may appear to lend prestige to literacy research (and researchers), it also risks reproducing “Great Divide” narratives that the field of sociocultural literacy studies has long critiqued. This relates to the pragmatic challenge that, in allowing the term “literacies” to be stretched too broadly, it may lose its capacity to explain those aspects of platforms and platformizations that are more closely associated with reading, writing, and textual practice. While there are no definitive lines to be drawn for when and how the term “literacies” ought to be used, the chapter offers questions and considerations to aid researchers and teachers in making their own determinations."

*New publication alert*

I'm excited to share "Literacy as a Framework for Computing Education: Affordances, Constraints, and New Directions," a chapter @jmhiggs.bsky.social, @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, and I wrote for Literacies in the Platform Society: Histories, Pedagogies, and Possibilities. 🧵

Just received this exciting book by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social Mahdi Ganjavi, Mina Khanlardazeh @mitpress.bsky.social, undoubtedly destined to become an instant classic in the field. It’s jumping straight to the top of my reading list!

Congratulations, Charles!!! Really excited for the great work you are doing and will continue to do in the AI ethics and education space. @charlesmok.bsky.social

Bombs over Tehran: a fathers day reflection To pre-game Father's Day, my friend Paymun and I took our sons to Climb Zone yesterday, a family entertainment center in Chicago.

Bombs over Tehran: a fathers day reflection
open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

Using AI to plan a Chicago summer? I just may... A few days ago, I was at an end-of-the-year picnic at my son's elementary school.

I'm excited for a Chicago summer with my kids. Can AI help me plan some fun activities? Maybe. sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/using-ai-t...

"Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University of Technology" by Sepehr Vakil, Mahdi Ganjavi, and Mina Khanlarzadeh on a plain background. A historical photo of several individuals at Aryamehr University of Technology is featured on the cover.

Co-authored by @sepehrvakil.bsky.social, Mahdi Ganjavi, and Mina Khanlarzadeh, "Revolutionary Engineers" details the cultural, political, and pedagogical history of an elite Iranian engineering institution in the years directly preceding the 1979 Iranian revolution:
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255219...

thank you!

yup we're looking into all of our options now.

thank you Shani. Its a hard time but we'll get through this.

thank you! we have to!

CC @davidimiller.bsky.social @proftv.bsky.social

Our NSF grant was canceled at Northwestern Last Friday, our NSF grant was illegally terminated by the federal government.

One week later, and the wounds are very, very fresh. Our NSF grant, which focused on educational justice for Black families in Evanston, was illegally canceled. Read more about it here: sepehrvakil.substack.com/p/our-nsf-gr...

🧪 Tip: You have the right to contest a grant termination, even though NSF says you don't. 🧵

On Friday, NSF terminated 402 grants (per Musk's DOGE).

The notification letters had one of the most egregious violations of fed regulations I've seen so far in these cases:

"not subject to appeal"

thank you Shuchi!!

New book announcement! Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University Official release on May 27, 2025!

New book announcement! Revolutionary Engineers: Learning, Politics, and Activism at Aryamehr University
open.substack.com/pub/sepehrva...

A photo of screen with two headshots. The first headshot is of Zainab Johnson, a Black woman in a pink top. The second headshot is of kihana miraya ross, a Black woman in a green top. The screen also has information about PCWB’s social media accounts.

A great way to spend a Thursday afternoon: attending a live taping of A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar with hosts @sepehrvakil.bsky.social and Mike Knight and guests Zainab Johnson and kihana miraya ross. Check out more shows at: m.youtube.com/@PCWB-NU

Comedian, actress, and writer @zainabjohnson will be on campus for a special live taping of professor @sepehrvakil.bsky.social podcast "A Professor and a Comedian Walk into a Bar" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at Harris Hall. Don't miss it!

✅ RSVP: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F....