Study of Religion as an Analytical Discipline Workshop

Heartbreaking. The University of Nebraska will terminate its entire Earth science department.

One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone.

When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?

thread.

‘The professor was right’: Oklahoma Republican college leader criticizes essay controversy The chairman of the Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans is weighing in on controversy surrounding a failed essay submitted by a University of Oklahoma student.

This is in fact the material point:
“The essay not only fails to meet basic college requirements — such as citing its primary source, the Bible — but fundamentally missed the assignment’s objective,” Tranquill said.

The goal of a course is to teach students certain skills, not give them an opportunity to live journal. The assignments are designed to teach and assess the development of those skills. That’s the deal. Instructors teach you what they plan to teach you. Not what your mommy told you to want to learn.

Folks often ask me for book recommendations to improve their writing. One of the best in the game is William Zinsser. #RPVBooks

Allow people to gather and not be religious.

New book from @stanfordpress.bsky.social:

Special Damage: The Slander of Women and the Gendered History of Defamation Law by Jessica Lake

www.sup.org/books/law/sp...

DONE, at 6200 words. Map drawn. Citations formatted. Photos captioned. Keywords and abstract complete. And everything sent to the editor. *thud*

The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus For several centuries, Santa Claus has been one of the most prolific mythical gift-givers in the world. Formerly known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...

I wrote a bit for McSweeney's about Isaac Chotiner interviewing Santa Claus. Just a little something for the holiday season. Enjoy!

Religion in the U.S.

Immigration

Theory at the Bargaining Table https://interccect.com

tomorrow!
how to strategize faculty power in technofeudal times!

Is British politics immune to US-style rightwing Christianity? We’re about to find out | Lamorna Ash Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson are increasingly espousing Christian ‘values’, and a wealthy US legal group is becoming influential – this could have dire consequences, says author Lamorna Ash

'Robinson’s newfound faith mirrors an important development that is taking place among European far-right groups, which are shifting emphasis in their political messaging from ethnicity to religion....In its most nationalist guise, this new racism views Christianity as synonymous with whiteness'.

PSA: For those of you who are Catholics and faculty/writing tutors at a Catholic University or College:

"What do you think of Dan Brown, then?"

University of Alabama suspends student magazines for Black students, female students | Alabama Reflector The University of Alabama suspended publication for Nineteen Fifty-Six Magazine and Alice Magazine citing a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi.

This piece shows that there’s some pushback. Hoping they find success. alabamareflector.com/2025/12/02/u...

U. of Alabama Suspends Black and Female Student Magazines, Citing D.E.I. Guidance

This is truly awful. I have served in the university media board for 3 years and saw how brilliant and committed the student editors of these magazines were to quality and integrity. This is such a loss for the university community at large. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...

Reinstate [alice] and 1956 to The University of Alabama's campus This is only the beginning of a slippery slope — even if you don't care about [alice], 1956, or student journalism in general, this is a testing ground for the government and the current administratio...

Please sign the petition: sign.moveon.org/petitions/re...

Buddha head with nimbus from Berenike

Astonishing finds excavated at Berenike in Egypt include Buddha images & other artifacts from India and some made locally in Indian style, plus a bilingual Sanskrit & Greek dedicatory inscription found near a marble Buddha head in an Isis temple courtyard.
publications.dainst.org/journals/jdi...

Begging reporters to make this distinction. She did not "cite" the Bible, she *invoked* the Bible.

"Citing" is this: "According to the Genesis account, 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth'" (Genesis 1:1, KJV)."

Just saying "the Bible says" before your claim isn't citing.

When you cite, you have to interpret, and this opens your claim to cross-examination. I can offer a different interpretation, or challenge yours. Citing a scriptural text is not inherently a claim to authority, although I understand that this was a psychology class and not a Religious Studies class

But people need to understand that you cannot get away with simply invoking a scripture in Religious Studies! If a student writes in a paper "The Qur'an says _______" without citing, they get marked down!

There's nothing I've gotten more down on over the course of my (illustrious) career than double-blind peer review for articles. And I'm not complaining EXACTLY, I've been as successful and productive as I could really hope to be so far but every time I engage w/ it it feels more like a fantasy

In other words, the whole point of keeping it anonymous is that it's supposed to make it objective, but especially in my field where so many things ARE subjective, it's just the case that you're going to get published if the editor sends it to reviewers sympathetic to what you do, otherwise not

It feels surreal to take this course on responsible conduct of research and research security right now, of all times. I love these topics (and have taught them)but, like...I can think of at least 100 people off the top of my head in DC who need this module more than I do.

I've been in charge of a few 100k of tax-funded grant funds. I had accountability partners and kept that data locked up like Fort Knox. Those in charge of billions however, just text it to each other in filmed rooms. WHERE IS THEIR RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH AND RESEARCH SECURITY MODULE?

Please note:

Check out this 19th century Thai treatise on cats I just found!
www.loc.gov/resource/gdc...

YouTube video by magnify Was Jesus Short?

Remembering this gem from last year when a YouTuber talked about my JBL article "The Little Messiah" and I discovered many new arguments from commenters who wanted to rebut my claims including +

www.youtube.com/shorts/riRv5...

Please note:

looking up someone in academia you don't know and finding you've been blocked by them like