Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Rhode Island Professor of history, specializing in 20th-century German and European social and cultural historyhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mj5whj62c22xSome interesting research from PhD candidate Andy Lopez and professor Mike Schutz. Using collections of everyday sounds they’ve demonstrated that the beeps that are used for auditory research don’t reflect sounds in the real world – and that has real consequences. https://news.mcmaster.ca/dont-keep-it-simple-study-finds-lab-beeps-dont-reflect-what-we-actually-hear/10 Apr 2026 18:14 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5whj62c22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mietyte56k2cMcMaster has become the first university in Ontario to sign the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, more familiarly known as DORA, which will allow us to better assess research contributions in terms of societal and community impact. https://news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-signs-declaration-on-research-assessment-dora/31 Mar 2026 18:54 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mietyte56k2chttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mgs5bldyek2sCongratulations! [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Mar 2026 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgs5bldyek2shttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3me7oydpetc26“For authoritarian regimes, internet blackouts are a powerful political tool of repression that conceal state violence,” says Communication Studies and Media Arts PhD candidate Niloofar Hooman. Read her timely analysis in @ca.theconversation.com: https://theconversation.com/why-iran-keeps-turning-off-the-internet-during-mass-protests-27379306 Feb 2026 20:00 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3me7oydpetc26https://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3me2dponpks2hAlexis-Carlota Cochrane, PhD candidate in Communication Studies and Media Arts, calls for an “enforceable, survivor-centred, AI-aware online safety framework” in response to new digital tools harming women and gender diverse people: https://news.mcmaster.ca/ai-generated-nude-deepfakes-are-part-of-a-larger-system-of-gender-based-digital-harms-expert-warns/04 Feb 2026 16:55 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3me2dponpks2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mdxtwnq74s2mEpisode 1 of Generations Ahead, a new podcast series produced by the Wilson College of Leadership & Civic Engagement and The Walrus Lab, is out. Sam Reusch (Apathy is Boring) and my colleague Sara Wolfe discuss youth civic engagement during a critical time for democracy. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Feb 2026 17:07 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdxtwnq74s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mdvoxa2wes24David Brooks’ last opinion piece for the NYT directs Americans to re-embrace their humanity, and he calls on universities to lead in this work. At Mac, the Faculty of Humanities and Wilson College, co-led by the Faculty of Social Sciences, do this every day. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/opinion/david-brooks-leaving-columnist.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.Y0qw.m12lDYKcWOAt&smid=url-share02 Feb 2026 20:32 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdvoxa2wes24https://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3mboovprw322iA key point in this editorial, by Mount Allison president Ian Sutherland and student Lucas Orfanides, is that, along with possessing relevant (and essential) job skills, liberal arts grads are uniquely well positioned to deal with AI's ethical shortcomings. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-an-ai-future-demands-liberal-arts-agility/05 Jan 2026 14:53 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mboovprw322ihttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3maltae6dbs2hExcited to announce that McMaster Humanities is looking to recruit established international researchers to our institution. Please see the following link for details of the government of Canada’s Impact+ program and reach out to me if you are interested. https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2025/12/22/mcmaster-seeking-international-academics-for-new-canada-impact-research-chairs-program/22 Dec 2025 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3maltae6dbs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3m5i7ej56hs2lWell done, McMaster scholars Melinda Gough and Peter Cockett! [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Nov 2025 03:18 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5i7ej56hs2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/pswett.bsky.social/post/3ljifhhqurk2dCongratulations to English and Cultural Studies postdoctoral fellow @stacya.bsky.social, whose course, "Black Latin America: Belonging, Refusal, Resistance" was featured on the CBC Hamilton website last week. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/afro-latinidad-roundtable-mcmaster-1.746699203 Mar 2025 16:43 +0000at://did:plc:5ipimvxarm2dplpdvcc4j6zb/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljifhhqurk2d