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Dan Schwartz

@bergdenker.bsky.social
612 followers 329 following 51 posts

Late Antiquity, Syriac Studies, Digital Humanities. I promise I'll write something clever after one more cup of coffee. (he, him)

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Reposted by Dan Schwartz
Barry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Finally found a use for this meme.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This is a fantastic postscript to the beautifully-written "The Anarchy". Well worth a ruminating on both!
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William Dalrymple @willdalrymple.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
An essay I've just written for @nytimes on why Big Tech is the 21st Century’s equivalent of the East India Company: "What It Would Take to Dismantle the Most Powerful Companies in the World" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What It Would Take to Dismantle the Most Powerful Companies in the World
A playbook to curb the growing power of Big Tech.
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James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I'll never steal your pen.
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Professional update: this summer my family will be moving out of Michigan and (back!) to Texas. My wife and I will be joining the faculty at Abilene Christian University (which is where we met!). I’ll be in the History and Global Studies department, and she’ll be in the Graduate Scool of Theology.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Syriaca.org is hosting it's third annual summer workshop on digital humanities for Syriac Studies. If you are interested in learning DH skills, our data model, and how you can be a part of the work we're doing, please consider applying for the workshop.
blog.syriaca.org
Digital Encoding for the Study of Syriac Literature: A Virtual Workshop (29 June-9 July, 2026) – Project News from Syriaca.org
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Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 13/05/2026
Students, if you’re thinking about dropping a note to that teacher or professor about what their class/project/mentorship has meant to you, but you worry it will be cringe or cheesy, let me just tell you they will coast on the fuzzy feelings prompted by that note for months, if not years
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James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Research associate position at the University of Oxford: Women in Syriac Christianity, 1500-1800 my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
my.corehr.com
Women in Syriac Christianity, 1500-1800
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American Historical Association @historians.org · 29/04/2026
The AHA has released a statement opposing the new Texas Tech University Course Content Guidelines, which prohibit content related to sexual orientation & gender identity in undergraduate courses, without defining these terms. Students deserve full and accurate histories. Read the statement:
historians.org
AHA Opposes Restrictions on Teaching and Learning at Texas Tech University - AHA
The AHA has released a statement strongly opposing the new Texas Tech University Course Content Guidelines. The guidelines impose a “strict prohibition” on content related to “Sexual Orientation and G...
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
with degrees in Religious Studies and the history of religion.
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Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies @spbsuk.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
It is with great sorrow that we share the news that Averil Cameron has passed away. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her and her work. Further information will be shared in due course.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
She was an wonderful scholar and an absolutely lovely human being. I'm heartbroken.
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Jon Green @jongreen.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
given the modern conservative fascination with Sparta it's at least a little funny that they've engineered a situation in which Persia is able to level a dramatically uneven battlefield by forcing the conflict into a narrow pathway
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Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
According to Academic Freedom Index, an annual benchmarking report compiled by researchers at Germany’s University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the decline in university autonomy in the US has been faster than in places such as Hungary, India and Turkey. 😮😡 www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
insidehighered.com
Decline in U.S. University Autonomy, Index Shows
Drop in institutional autonomy of 50 percent since 2015 means country is now only rated as “moderate” by experts.
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Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Posted as self-criticism.
Academics often say yes to things with long lead times. They think they'll somehow have more time in the future.
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Stephanie M. Lee @stephaniemlee.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
can you teach something at Texas A&M? just follow this flowchart. www.chronicle.com/article/insi... via @jasperjsmith.bsky.social and @mzahneis.bsky.social
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American Historical Association @historians.org · 12/02/2026
Careers for History Majors, revamped and updated for 2026, conveys the value of the undergraduate study of history through clear graphs and informal prose. Readers will find hard data, practical advice, and answers to common questions from students and their parents. 🗃️
historians.org
Careers for History Majors - AHA
Studying History Can Enrich Our Lives The Value of a History Degree With clear data and informal prose, Careers for History Majors equips readers with data, practical advice, specific strategies, and ...
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Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
JUST IN: Texas A&M professor Melissa McCoul sues over firing linked to gender-related content in youth literature class. TX Gov. Abbott called for her firing. Among the defendants: former POLITICO owner & NOTUS founder, Robert Allbritton. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
#1 in McCoul v. Texas A&M University System (S.D. Tex., 4:26-cv-00865) – CourtListener.com
COMPLAINT against All Defendants (Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ATXSDC-35013427) filed by Melissa McCoul. (Reichek, Amanda) (Entered: 02/04/2026)
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Two brave Texas Tech history majors speak on the record here. One would like to ask the Chancellor, "should I drop out?" www.texastribune.org/2026/02/04/t...
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Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.
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James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
New Texas School Prayer Law Seems a Tad Fuzzy www.patheos.com/blogs/therel...
patheos.com
New Texas School Prayer Law Seems A Tad Fuzzy
Texas has a new prayer in public school law that went into effect September 1.  It's not clear if there has been any public school praying going on yet,
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Thomas A. Carlson @medievalmiddleeast.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
With all the AI spyware built into Windows 11 and AI's inability to prevent spewing protected information if prompted, some university lawyers should really investigate whether teachers using Windows 11 violates FERPA.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Publicly funded research should be publicly available!
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
I have been informed by the good folks at @gorgiaspress.bsky.social that my translation of the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (aka 2 Baruch) is officially in print, though I don't have a hard copy yet. Here's a link: www.gorgiaspress.com/maccabees-3-...
gorgiaspress.com
3-4 Maccabees and the Apocalypse of Baruch According to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation
This volume is part of a series of English translations of the Syriac Peshitta along with the Syriac text carried out by an international team of scholars.
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Grig "Punkie" Larson @griglars.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
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Gregory A. Hargreaves @bordergroves.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
History majors have lower unemployment than computer science majors. Folks with humanities graduate degrees are more sought after by corporate recruiters than those with MBAs. Study history! Get a job!
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
If forced to recommend a prayer for Texas school children, I'd probably go with Psalm 10.
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William G. Thomas III @wgthomas3.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Our team has been working on a major Open Education Resource (OER) about U.S. legal history for teaching and learning. If you are teaching U.S. legal history, we hope that EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW will help you and your students. Check out our initial launch site at: teachinglegalhistory.unl.edu
teachinglegalhistory.unl.edu
Home
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
I was so happy to participate in the original roundtable discussion and this publication that came out of it. Many thanks to Dave Michelson for his work to bring this together!
doi.org
Roundtable on Peter Brown, Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2023) | Church History | Cambridge Core
Roundtable on Peter Brown, Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2023)
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Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
A poem from this morning.
Humanities

Who needs history?
Literature? Languages? 
Art? Philosophy?

These can only help
    you to better understand
        our humanity.

Best to let machines
    read your books. And write your books.
        Do your art for you.

You will never need
    to think. Never need to learn.
       You’ll learn to like it.

And when the end comes
    you’ll have never burdened down
        your soul with any growth.

Someone selling this
sees profit in destroying
your humanity.


-- John Wyatt Greenlee
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NPR @npr.org · 07/08/2025
The ruling deems the government's termination of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities "unlawful" and allows a lawsuit brought by humanities groups to move forward.
n.pr
Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful'
The ruling deems the government's termination of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities "unlawful" and allows a lawsuit brought by humanities groups to move forward.
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Matthew Boedy @matthewboedy.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
The 2025 @aaup.org Faculty in the South Survey is live. If you are a professor in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, or Texas it's for you. Ends 8/29 at 5pm Eastern forms.gle/v7T3BH2w9LXs...
forms.gle
2025 AAUP Faculty in the South Survey
The Georgia conference of the American Association of University Professors [AAUP] and its partners in states across the South have been at the forefront of fighting attacks on higher education. To as...
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Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
BECOME UNGOVERNABLE
A dachshund stands in a store, visible through glass doors marked with a "no dachshunds" graphic silhouette sign. The interior shows shopping carts and tiled flooring.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Congratulations to Prof. Salvesen! This is a very well-deserved honor.
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Syriaca Nexus @syriaca.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Syriaca.org has been committed to curating linked data in the field of Syriac studies for over a decade. We are thrilled to see researchers using this infrastructure to do amazing work!
syriaca.org
Syriaca.org
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Olivia Gaines, Author @ogaines.com · 17/06/2025
#booksky #writingcommunity
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ACLU @aclu.org · 17/06/2025
NEW: The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a 2021 censorship law can't be used to ban teaching about race and gender in Oklahoma's higher education institutions. This is a win for academic freedom and the First Amendment.
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Dr Renske Janssen🟥 @renskejanssen.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Exciting news! @unileiden.bsky.social now has its very own Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions (L*CeSAR), run by my wonderful colleagues Kim Beerden and Rafał Matuszewski. Working on ancient religion, and looking to connect? Check out the website: ancientreligions.lucdh.nl
Website of the Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions. The text reads: "
Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions

L*CeSAR is a network that aims to foster academic exchange among researchers working on ancient religions in Leiden and beyond. The Center seeks to become a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together scholars from Leiden University and other Dutch universities, and offering a platform for scholarly dialogue and the dissemination of knowledge."

At the bottom, two clickable buttons read "Who are we?" and "What we do?". At the top, the horizontal menu reads "Home", "About us", "Activities" and "Contact Us"
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Syriaca Nexus @syriaca.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Free Workshop: Digital Encoding for Syriac Studies Syriaca.org invites applications for a virtual workshop on “Digital Encoding for Syriac Studies” on Tuesday, July 29th and Thursday, July 31, 2025. For details and registration information, see blog.syriaca.org/2025/06/digi...
blog.syriaca.org
Digital Encoding for Syriac Studies: A Virtual Workshop (July 29-31, 2025) – Project News from Syriaca.org
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Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · 10/06/2025
Has there ever been a government office that has felt more fully a part of the community it represents? A staff as universally respected? An absolutely devastating blow.
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Hugh Cayless @hcayless.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
It’s hard for me to quantify just how much the NEH has meant to my career. Beyond just direct funding, there are *so many* foundational DH projects, methods, and tools that were launched because the NEH was there to support them. It’s a dark day indeed.
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John Garrison Marks @johngmarks.com · 10/06/2025
Worth noting today that the entire budget of the NEH is about $200M.
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Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · 04/06/2025
I’m just gonna say, if you are not prepared and able to burn up your career defending the people you represent, do not run for a leadership position right now. Let someone else do it, someone braver.
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Dan Schwartz @bergdenker.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
I had the privilege of working with numerous NEH staffers as a grant recipient and as a grant reviewer. They were invariably smart, thoughtful, hard working people. The loss of having my NEH grant terminated without review in nothing compared to the loss of the NEH and its staff. I'm so sorry.
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Texas Conference of the AAUP @texasaaup.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
@utaustinaaup.bsky.social Pres. Polly Strong: “SB 37 will greatly harm the reputation of our research universities + lead to a brain drain of faculty + students. We are grateful to the reps who supported faculty on the floor…” www.texastribune.org/2025/05/24/t...
texastribune.org
Political appointees would have more control over Texas universities’ courses and hiring under bill approved in House
Senate Bill 37 would give more power to university regents, who are appointed by the governor, to vet and veto new curricula and administrators.
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