The American Vandal
Episodes
Beyond The White Suit with Kerry Driscoll, Ann Ryan, & Barbara Snedecor (Vandal Live in Elmira)
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Two events organized by the Center For Mark Twain Studies focus on the complex legacy of Mark Twain and the omissions and misrepresentations of his wi...
Beyond The White Suit with Kerry Driscoll, Ann Ryan, & Barbara Snedecor (Vandal Live in Elmira)
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Two events organized by the Center For Mark Twain Studies focus on the complex legacy of Mark Twain and the omissions and misrepresentations of his wi...
This Guy Sucked with Claire Aubin & Erin Bartram (Vandal Live at Mark Twain House & Museum)
21 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A live crossover podcasting event with the This Guy Sucked podcast, hosted at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The question is ...
This Guy Sucked (Vandal Live at Mark Twain House & Museum)
21 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A live crossover podcasting event with the This Guy Sucked podcast, hosted at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The question is ...
After OpenAI (Vandal Live at Wake Forest Humanities Institute)
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the Spring Symposium at the Wake Forest Humanities Institute, Matt Seybold discusses the present and future of AI speculation, including an...
After OpenAI (Vandal Live at Wake Forest Humanities Institute)
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the Spring Symposium at the Wake Forest Humanities Institute, Matt Seybold discusses the present and future of AI speculation, including an...
Muskism with Quinn Slobodian & Ben Tarnoff
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion of the forthcoming book "Muskism: A Guild For The Perplexed" with its authors. Topics includes Muskism as the antidote to Musk Fatique, m...
Muskism with Quinn Slobodian & Ben Tarnoff
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion of the forthcoming book "Muskism: A Guild For The Perplexed" with its authors. Topics includes Muskism as the antidote to Musk Fatique, m...
The Secret History of Canvas LMS, Corporate Raiders, & The Chatbot Bubble (Vandal Live at UVU)
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Opens with Matt Seybold's short history of Instructure, the makers of Canvas LMS, with special emphasis on its acquisition by Dragoneer and KKR in 202...
The Secret History of Canvas LMS, Corporate Raiders, & The Chatbot Bubble (Vandal Live at UVU)
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Opens with Matt Seybold's short history of Instructure, the makers of Canvas LMS, with special emphasis on its acquisition by Dragoneer and KKR in 202...
Close Reading Is Not A Luxury (Vandal Live at Emory)
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. What are the challenges, strategies, and rewards for teaching close...
Close Reading Is Not A Luxury (Vandal Live at Emory)
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. What are the challenges, strategies, and rewards for teaching close...
Close Reading Is A Conversation (Vandal Live at Emory University)
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. Why is close reading best understood as a conversation? What are it...
Close Reading Is A Conversation (Vandal Live at Emory University)
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium, hosted by Emory University. Why is close reading best understood as a conversation? What are it...
Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium (Vandal Live at Emory)
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The first of three episodes based on the "Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium" hosted by Emory University. The symposium's opening address is...
Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium (Vandal Live at Emory)
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The first of three episodes based on the "Close Reading For The 21st Century Symposium" hosted by Emory University. The symposium's opening address is...
Theory At The Bargaining Table with Dominique Baker & Anna Kornbluh (Vandal Live at UIC)
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hosted by the University of Illinois-Chicago United Faculty, a roundtable discussion about confronting the challenges facing higher education labor or...
Theory At The Bargaining Table with Dominique Baker & Anna Kornbluh (Vandal Live at UIC)
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hosted by the University of Illinois-Chicago United Faculty, a roundtable discussion about confronting the challenges facing higher education labor or...
Everyday Ecofascism with April Anson & Alexander Menrisky (Vandal Live at 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium)
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The event launching the 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium on Energy Studies begins with opening address by co-organizer Jeffrey Insko, then discussion of the...
Everyday Ecofascism with April Anson & Alexander Menrisky (Vandal Live at 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium)
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The event launching the 2025 Quarry Farm Symposium on Energy Studies begins with opening address by co-organizer Jeffrey Insko, then discussion of the...
Criticism & The Chatbot Bubble with Christopher Newfield & Whitney Trettien (Vandal Live at UPenn English)
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A spirited discussion of the state of higher education, the history of criticism, and the future of literary knowledge production, recorded with a liv...
Criticism & The Chatbot Bubble with Christopher Newfield & Whitney Trettien (Vandal Live at UPenn English)
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A spirited discussion of the state of higher education, the history of criticism, and the future of literary knowledge production, recorded with a liv...
Inside Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A chance to reflect, with journalism professor Jeff Sharlet, on his book, "The Undertow: Scenes From A Slow Civil War," the looming threat of accelera...
Inside Slow Civil War with Jeff Sharlet
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A chance to reflect, with journalism professor Jeff Sharlet, on his book, "The Undertow: Scenes From A Slow Civil War," the looming threat of accelera...
Cruel Futurism
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of "A Tale of Today," the eleventh season of "The American Vandal." Matt Seybold offers his journey of curiosity from the end of "Criti...
Cruel Futurism
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of "A Tale of Today," the eleventh season of "The American Vandal." Matt Seybold offers his journey of curiosity from the end of "Criti...
"Ideology: Marx & Lukacs" by Fredric Jameson (1977 Institute On Culture & Society)
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remastered audio of Fredric Jameson's second lecture at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society sponsored by the Marxist Literary Group and hosted by ...
"Ideology: Marx & Lukacs" by Fredric Jameson (1977 Institute On Culture & Society)
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remastered audio of Fredric Jameson's second lecture at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society sponsored by the Marxist Literary Group and hosted by ...
The Jameson Tapes, Side B
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second episode contextualizing Fredric Jameson's lectures at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society begins with a discussion of Jameson's controv...
The Jameson Tapes, Side B
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second episode contextualizing Fredric Jameson's lectures at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society begins with a discussion of Jameson's controv...
"Models of Ideological Analysis" by Fredric Jameson (1977 Institute On Culture & Society)
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remastered audio of Fredric Jamesons opening lecture at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society sponsored by the Marxist Literary Group and hosted by ...
"Models of Ideological Analysis" by Fredric Jameson (1977 Institute On Culture & Society)
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remastered audio of Fredric Jamesons opening lecture at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society sponsored by the Marxist Literary Group and hosted by ...
The Jameson Tapes, Side A
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first of two installments contextualizing Fredric Jameson's lectures at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society begins with a discussion of "Marxi...
The Jameson Tapes, Side A
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first of two installments contextualizing Fredric Jameson's lectures at the 1977 Institute On Culture & Society begins with a discussion of "Marxi...
Spitesgiving in Flyover Country
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Analysis of the Gilded Age tropology of alienation precedes discussions of Hubert Humphrey & Tim Walz [9:00], the reception of "Hillbilly Elegy" and i...
Spitesgiving in Flyover Country
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Analysis of the Gilded Age tropology of alienation precedes discussions of Hubert Humphrey & Tim Walz [9:00], the reception of "Hillbilly Elegy" and i...
Literary Sociology a.k.a. The Institutional Turn a.k.a The Spreadsheet School of Literary Criticism
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A so-called Spreadsheet Man responds. Does the institutional turn have a distinctly feminine ethos? [27:30] How is it rooted in the Post45 Collective?...
Literary Sociology a.k.a. The Institutional Turn a.k.a The Spreadsheet School of Literary Criticism
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A so-called Spreadsheet Man responds. Does the institutional turn have a distinctly feminine ethos? [27:30] How is it rooted in the Post45 Collective?...
The Mutational Romances of Silicon Valley Speculation
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our ideology critique of contemporary tech fascist SciFi begins with the first selections from Fredric Jameson's 1977 seminar at the Institute On Cult...
The Mutational Romances of Silicon Valley Speculation
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our ideology critique of contemporary tech fascist SciFi begins with the first selections from Fredric Jameson's 1977 seminar at the Institute On Cult...
Vandal Live: Affordances of Enclosure & The Ends of Empires
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our inaugural installment of "live" podcasting was recorded with a small audience in the library at Quarry Farm. It features Caroline Levine and Jed E...
Vandal Live: Affordances of Enclosure & The Ends of Empires
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our inaugural installment of "live" podcasting was recorded with a small audience in the library at Quarry Farm. It features Caroline Levine and Jed E...
Solidarity & Speculation
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of our trilogy centered on Technofeudalism begins with the intersection of political economy with aesthetics and literary forms, followed b...
Solidarity & Speculation
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The finale of our trilogy centered on Technofeudalism begins with the intersection of political economy with aesthetics and literary forms, followed b...
From Technostructure To Technofeudalism
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An exploration of the political economy of technofeudalism begins by defining the technostructure and introducing its personification, followed by tes...
From Technostructure To Technofeudalism
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An exploration of the political economy of technofeudalism begins by defining the technostructure and introducing its personification, followed by tes...
Newspapers Worse Than Dead (But Print Is A Rent Strike)
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode opens with journalism's "race to the bottom," described by a journalist who lived it, followed by what "The Facebook Files" revealed about soc...
Newspapers Worse Than Dead (But Print Is A Rent Strike)
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode opens with journalism's "race to the bottom," described by a journalist who lived it, followed by what "The Facebook Files" revealed about soc...
The Facebook Files & The Gutenberg Parenthesis
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A two-part meditation on the history of journalism and the fate of investigative journalism under tech fascism begins with the model of Ida Tarbell, t...
The Facebook Files & The Gutenberg Parenthesis
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A two-part meditation on the history of journalism and the fate of investigative journalism under tech fascism begins with the model of Ida Tarbell, t...
The Gilded Network
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our 150th anniversary celebration of Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner's "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today" turns to political economies of mass med...
The Gilded Network
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our 150th anniversary celebration of Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner's "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today" turns to political economies of mass med...
A Journey of Curiosity
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second act of "A Tale of Today," focused on HBCUs and the political economy of education in Gilded Ages old and new, concludes with a journey of c...
A Journey of Curiosity
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The second act of "A Tale of Today," focused on HBCUs and the political economy of education in Gilded Ages old and new, concludes with a journey of c...
The First Curriculum Is Work Without Wages
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following Jelani Favors's description of how the second curriculum of HBCUs has been compromised since the 1980s, we look back at the origins of Howar...
The First Curriculum Is Work Without Wages
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following Jelani Favors's description of how the second curriculum of HBCUs has been compromised since the 1980s, we look back at the origins of Howar...
Fake Work, Fucking Models, & The Archive of Empire
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Archives, physical and digital, are suffering from austerity, enshittification, and censorship. In this episode scholars discuss the ambivalent impact...
Fake Work, Fucking Models, & The Archive of Empire
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Archives, physical and digital, are suffering from austerity, enshittification, and censorship. In this episode scholars discuss the ambivalent impact...
Half Castle 'Gainst The Scott Walkers
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"A Tale Of Today" returns with an episode inspired by "The Teaching Archive." Its authors discuss the pedagogical innovations of HBCUs and strategies ...
Half Castle 'Gainst The Scott Walkers
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"A Tale Of Today" returns with an episode inspired by "The Teaching Archive." Its authors discuss the pedagogical innovations of HBCUs and strategies ...
The Education Gospel, Enshittify.edu, & The Expansion of Lower Ed
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An episode built around an interview with Tressie McMillan Cottom covers what lessons the rest of Higher Ed can learn from HBCUs [3:00], the vectors o...
The Education Gospel, Enshittify.edu, & The Expansion of Lower Ed
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An episode built around an interview with Tressie McMillan Cottom covers what lessons the rest of Higher Ed can learn from HBCUs [3:00], the vectors o...
Philanthrocapitalism U
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Morehouse college commencement speaker makes an extraordinary financial commitment, but there's a "profound story" to tell about the durable funding...
Philanthrocapitalism U
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Morehouse college commencement speaker makes an extraordinary financial commitment, but there's a "profound story" to tell about the durable funding...
The Black University Concept & The Second Curriculum
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A brief history of HBCUs through conversations with five scholars about the second curriculum which informs movements for Civil Rights in the midcentu...
The Black University Concept & The Second Curriculum
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A brief history of HBCUs through conversations with five scholars about the second curriculum which informs movements for Civil Rights in the midcentu...
BONUS EPISODE: "First at Farce: Structures of Feeling in The Gilded Age" by Nathan Wolff (2024 Quarry Farm Symposium Keynote)
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Nathan Wolff himself puts it, his recent keynote address at the 2024 Quarry Farm Fall Symposium is "very much in dialogue with The American Vandal....
BONUS EPISODE: "First at Farce: Structures of Feeling in The Gilded Age" by Nathan Wolff (2024 Quarry Farm Symposium Keynote)
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Nathan Wolff himself puts it, his recent keynote address at the 2024 Quarry Farm Fall Symposium is "very much in dialogue with The American Vandal....
The Historical Novel
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Organized around a comparison of György Lukács's "The Historical Novel" and Mark Twain & Charles Dudley Warner's "The Gilded Age," in this episode w...
The Historical Novel
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Organized around a comparison of György Lukács's "The Historical Novel" and Mark Twain & Charles Dudley Warner's "The Gilded Age," in this episode w...
Always Historicize?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Fredric Jameson on why "the most important goal is history itself" follows a series of conversations about dialectical criticism vs. new historic...
Always Historicize?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Fredric Jameson on why "the most important goal is history itself" follows a series of conversations about dialectical criticism vs. new historic...
Strategic Presentism & Resistance History
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference? The episode opens with defenses of presentism by two literary critics and a reception history of "The Gilded Age" [6:30] before...
Strategic Presentism & Resistance History
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference? The episode opens with defenses of presentism by two literary critics and a reception history of "The Gilded Age" [6:30] before...
Fredric Jameson R.I.P
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this Summer, Matt Seybold asked Anna Kornbluh what Fredric Jameson meant to literary criticism. On the occasion of his passing, we'd like to s...
Fredric Jameson R.I.P
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this Summer, Matt Seybold asked Anna Kornbluh what Fredric Jameson meant to literary criticism. On the occasion of his passing, we'd like to s...
Cruel Optimism & The Enclosure of the Commons
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new episode of "A Tale of Today" begins with an explanation of the forest charter and the enclosure of the commons through a revisionist version of ...
Cruel Optimism & The Enclosure of the Commons
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new episode of "A Tale of Today" begins with an explanation of the forest charter and the enclosure of the commons through a revisionist version of ...
The Age of Insecurity
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new season inspired by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner's 150-year-old novel, "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today," launches with an introduction t...
The Age of Insecurity
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new season inspired by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner's 150-year-old novel, "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today," launches with an introduction t...
Criticism LTD: Continuing The Dialogue (A Project Narrative Event)
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded at The Ohio State University, as part of the Project Narrative series, Matt Seybold reflects on the making of "Criticism LTD" [3:15], as well...
Criticism LTD: Continuing The Dialogue (A Project Narrative Event)
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded at The Ohio State University, as part of the Project Narrative series, Matt Seybold reflects on the making of "Criticism LTD" [3:15], as well...
Close Reading Feudalism(s) in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with James Phelan (A Project Narrative Crossover Episode)
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From the production studios of Ohio State University, American Vandal host, Matt Seybold, and James Phelan, the Director of Project Narrative, read al...
Close Reading Feudalism(s) in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with James Phelan (A Project Narrative Crossover Episode)
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From the production studios of Ohio State University, American Vandal host, Matt Seybold, and James Phelan, the Director of Project Narrative, read al...
2024 with Anna Kornbluh & J.D. Connor
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The finale episode of our miniseries on corporate allegory was recorded the day after the publication of Anna Kornbluh's "Immediacy, or The Style of T...
2024 with Anna Kornbluh & J.D. Connor
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The finale episode of our miniseries on corporate allegory was recorded the day after the publication of Anna Kornbluh's "Immediacy, or The Style of T...
iLiberalism, The Morning Show, & The Sheeny Blandness of AppleTV+ with Anna Shechtman & Michael Szalay
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our series on corporate allegory continues with an extended discussion of Apple TV+, both its film and television offerings, as well as the relationsh...
iLiberalism, The Morning Show, & The Sheeny Blandness of AppleTV+ with Anna Shechtman & Michael Szalay
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our series on corporate allegory continues with an extended discussion of Apple TV+, both its film and television offerings, as well as the relationsh...
Close Reading, Conglomerate Authorship, & Qween Danielle Steel with Dan Sinykin & Johanna Winant
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an episode which operates as both coda to "Criticism LTD" and herald of 2024, Matt Seybold is joined by two scholars working on the complex history...
Close Reading, Conglomerate Authorship, & Qween Danielle Steel with Dan Sinykin & Johanna Winant
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an episode which operates as both coda to "Criticism LTD" and herald of 2024, Matt Seybold is joined by two scholars working on the complex history...
Netflix Necrocapitalism & The House of Usher with Jane Hu & Phillip Maciak
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new season on corporate allegory, business melodrama, and new releases from academic presses kicks off with a discussion of the recent Mike Flanagan...
Netflix Necrocapitalism & The House of Usher with Jane Hu & Phillip Maciak
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new season on corporate allegory, business melodrama, and new releases from academic presses kicks off with a discussion of the recent Mike Flanagan...
The Empire of Criticism (Finale)
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Criticism LTD" concludes its lengthy examination of the unanswerable questions about the state of literary studies with a lengthy consideration of "T...
The Empire of Criticism (Finale)
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Criticism LTD" concludes its lengthy examination of the unanswerable questions about the state of literary studies with a lengthy consideration of "T...
The Empire of Criticism (Part Two)
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of the finale of "Criticism LTD," we hear about the origins of Jacque Derrida's "Limited Inc." from its editor, the fraught allianc...
The Empire of Criticism (Part Two)
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of the finale of "Criticism LTD," we hear about the origins of Jacque Derrida's "Limited Inc." from its editor, the fraught allianc...
The Empire of Criticism (Part One)
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tripartite finale of "Criticism LTD" begins with a the feud between Matthew Arnold and Mark Twain, followed by "Bed Glee" [14:00], "Outing Critici...
The Empire of Criticism (Part One)
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tripartite finale of "Criticism LTD" begins with a the feud between Matthew Arnold and Mark Twain, followed by "Bed Glee" [14:00], "Outing Critici...
Ed Tech, AI, & The Unbundling of Research & Teaching
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A sometimes uncanny Halloween week exploration of the EdTech griftopia. Who's monetizing our data? How is EdTech being used to bust unions [8:00]? How...
Ed Tech, AI, & The Unbundling of Research & Teaching
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A sometimes uncanny Halloween week exploration of the EdTech griftopia. Who's monetizing our data? How is EdTech being used to bust unions [8:00]? How...