Monica Mitri

Join Us for a Groundbreaking Conference on Coptic Christianity!

May 19-21, 2025
Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus

The Orthodox Christian Studies Center is proud to present its inaugural Coptic Christianity Conference:

Thank you!

Just finished the first rough draft of dissertation chapter one. Feeling rather pumped (and very sleepy!)

This year I'm on the #aar steering committees of the Middle Eastern Christianity Unit & Religion and Memory Unit. Check out our CfP(s) & consider submitting a proposal!

MECU June: papers.aarweb.org/group/14948
MECU Nov.: papers.aarweb.org/group/14947
R&M Nov.: papers.aarweb.org/group/14993

It's a slow but satisfying day of dissertating at home. Almost 900 words in today.

I found the SBL one. AAR is trickier: the only thing I could find quite a bit of search is a "search by keyword" page. Weird but I guess that's it

Is it just me who can't find the #aar #sbl call for papers, or are they really hidden in some obscure nook of the website?

AI struggles to understand human history and fails miserably when tested The study, which is the first of its kind, evaluates the historical knowledge of leading AI models such as ChatGPT-4, Llama, and Gemini.

“But when it comes to making judgments about the characteristics of past societies, especially those located outside North America and Western Europe, their ability to do so is much more limited.”

The intellectual always has a choice either to side with the weaker, the less well represented, the forgotten or ignored, or to side with the more powerful.

—Edward Said

On point 👇🏼

I know. The evil is unspeakable.

Writing at USC's philosophy library is always a lovely experience.

My Gen Z daughter and her Altadena and Pasadena classmates are showing us the way (RNS) — It should not be surprising that the children of this community would lead in taking care of their own across faiths, ethnicities and languages.

Gen Z leading the way.
religionnews.com/2025/01/16/m...

Ceasefire. Finally.

Copts celebrate Nativity on Kiahk 29 (currently corresponds to January 7) and Epiphany on Tobi 11 (corresponds to January 19).

The Syriac Orthodox celebrate Nativity on December 25 and Epiphany on Jan 6.

I believe this is the case only in the Armenian church. The Coptic and Syriac traditions do not combine Nativity and Theophany.

LA fires are a good reminder that the only difference between me and any refugee is luck.

Thread for if you have to evacuate 👇🏼

L.A. restaurants offering shelter, discounts and food to fire evacuees and first responders These L.A. restaurants and coffee shops are staying open to shelter evacuees, offering discounts and, in some cases, free food to evacuees and first responders to the numerous ongoing fires in Souther...

The LA Times has a good list of places offering discounted or free food and coffee to displaced families and/or first responders. Check it out and double check to be sure what deals are where. (added this to my running resources list) www.latimes.com/food/list/lo...

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 15

Stay safe, LA people.

Never done a reading challenge before; I buy & read bks all the time for work & fun. But this year will be read-from-my-bookshelf & read-for-my-dissertation year.
It's Jan 7 & I'm already restless - stopped reading 2 books midway & picked up a 3rd. BUT all from my bookshelf. Maybe I'll make it?

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 14

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 13

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 12

Not that it is a surprise ...

South African poet Don Mattera wrote a searching poem called "To God". It sounds like Job! I found it in a paper by Prof. Maluleke.

In memory of Richard Hays. RIP

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 11

So good!

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. one book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. no explanations, no reviews, just covers. 💙📚 day 10