Sarah Dees
@sarahdees.bsky.social
Professional nerd. American & Indigenous religions. History of museums + science + politics + race + empire (+ Dolly Parton). Editorial team @ Material Religion. My views. she/her.
I'll have my robots talk to your robots
November 23, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I'll have my robots talk to your robots
Reposted by Sarah Dees
In addition to many other important programs, IU Bloomington is eliminating its Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department, one of the most storied and successful in the country.
So, here it is. Thanks to a new state law that was NEVER DEBATED, Indiana University has committed itself to abolishing majors in African-American/African Diaspora Studies: American Studies; Art History; French; Italian; Religious Studies etc. DOZENS of majors. www.ipm.org/news-section...
Indiana public colleges cut almost 20% of degrees
Public Indiana colleges and universities have eliminated 19 percent of their degree programs to meet requirements added to the state’s budget, according to the Commission for Higher Education.
www.ipm.org
June 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
In addition to many other important programs, IU Bloomington is eliminating its Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department, one of the most storied and successful in the country.
Reposted by Sarah Dees
👀 The Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy has just published an article by A3P Sr. Counsel Josh Hammer, Timon Cline, & Yoram Hazony. It calls on SCOTUS to reverse the 1947 Everson case, which held that the Establishment Clause applies to the states & requires a separation of church & state. 1/
June 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
👀 The Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy has just published an article by A3P Sr. Counsel Josh Hammer, Timon Cline, & Yoram Hazony. It calls on SCOTUS to reverse the 1947 Everson case, which held that the Establishment Clause applies to the states & requires a separation of church & state. 1/
Reposted by Sarah Dees
So, here it is. Thanks to a new state law that was NEVER DEBATED, Indiana University has committed itself to abolishing majors in African-American/African Diaspora Studies: American Studies; Art History; French; Italian; Religious Studies etc. DOZENS of majors. www.ipm.org/news-section...
Indiana public colleges cut almost 20% of degrees
Public Indiana colleges and universities have eliminated 19 percent of their degree programs to meet requirements added to the state’s budget, according to the Commission for Higher Education.
www.ipm.org
June 30, 2025 at 9:12 PM
So, here it is. Thanks to a new state law that was NEVER DEBATED, Indiana University has committed itself to abolishing majors in African-American/African Diaspora Studies: American Studies; Art History; French; Italian; Religious Studies etc. DOZENS of majors. www.ipm.org/news-section...
The result of a Google search I just did for “famous Peters.” Maybe AI should rewrite history after all
June 29, 2025 at 10:46 PM
The result of a Google search I just did for “famous Peters.” Maybe AI should rewrite history after all
I've been thinking about public education and education as a public good this week, and it reminded me of the amazing work by @justseeds.bsky.social. So much great education-themed art! (Like this one by Pete Railand.)
May 29, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I've been thinking about public education and education as a public good this week, and it reminded me of the amazing work by @justseeds.bsky.social. So much great education-themed art! (Like this one by Pete Railand.)
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Just for the record. See? Sovereignty-wise, Tribes outrank states. No supremacy clause for them.
May 29, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Just for the record. See? Sovereignty-wise, Tribes outrank states. No supremacy clause for them.
I received tenure so I might do something wild like add a ridiculous quotation to my email signature
"May each step you take bring you closer to the things you seek to find" - George Jones
"May each step you take bring you closer to the things you seek to find" - George Jones
May 29, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I received tenure so I might do something wild like add a ridiculous quotation to my email signature
"May each step you take bring you closer to the things you seek to find" - George Jones
"May each step you take bring you closer to the things you seek to find" - George Jones
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Indigenous leaders call on new Pope to return thousands of artifacts | CBC News www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Indigenous leaders call on new Pope to return thousands of artifacts | CBC News
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is calling for the Vatican to return sacred First Nation artifacts that were taken from Indigenous communities during the residential school era.
www.cbc.ca
May 16, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Indigenous leaders call on new Pope to return thousands of artifacts | CBC News www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Yesterday, ACLS, @historians.org, and @modernlanguage.bsky.social filed a Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion for a preliminary injunction to reverse the cancellation of grants and the firing of NEH staff.
Read it in full here: bit.ly/3Sr4oJf
Read it in full here: bit.ly/3Sr4oJf
May 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Yesterday, ACLS, @historians.org, and @modernlanguage.bsky.social filed a Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion for a preliminary injunction to reverse the cancellation of grants and the firing of NEH staff.
Read it in full here: bit.ly/3Sr4oJf
Read it in full here: bit.ly/3Sr4oJf
Grading papers in this early age of AI raises so many thoughts/feelings. Concern that so many students appear to be turning to algorithms to produce writing for them. Frustration at trends in higher education (and the world) that have laid the foundation for this largely uncritical turn to AI.
May 15, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Grading papers in this early age of AI raises so many thoughts/feelings. Concern that so many students appear to be turning to algorithms to produce writing for them. Frustration at trends in higher education (and the world) that have laid the foundation for this largely uncritical turn to AI.
From @us.theconversation.com: Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence theconversation.com/universities...
Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence
Before the Nazis, German universities were among the best in the world. Step by step, the universities gave up their independence until they were instruments of the state.
theconversation.com
April 13, 2025 at 2:35 AM
From @us.theconversation.com: Universities in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union thought giving in to government demands would save their independence theconversation.com/universities...
It's publication day for this volume! Please consider requesting it as a library purchase if you're able to do that. I don't have a copy yet, so I haven't been able to read any of the other chapters, but they look great. www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Indigenous Religions
Exciting developments in research among, with and by Indigenous scholars and communities are enriching a wide range of disciplines, methodologies and trans-disciplinary conversations. This growing fie...
www.routledge.com
March 31, 2025 at 7:54 PM
It's publication day for this volume! Please consider requesting it as a library purchase if you're able to do that. I don't have a copy yet, so I haven't been able to read any of the other chapters, but they look great. www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
Reposted by Sarah Dees
ACLS member societies have released statements a responding to recent Executive Orders and federal budget cuts that target academic freedom, higher education, and other issues related to their fields: bit.ly/426DqLb
ACLS Member Societies Respond to Executive Orders Impacting Higher Education
ACLS member societies have released statements and advocacy efforts responding to recent Executive Orders and federal budget cuts that target higher education.
bit.ly
March 31, 2025 at 1:54 PM
ACLS member societies have released statements a responding to recent Executive Orders and federal budget cuts that target academic freedom, higher education, and other issues related to their fields: bit.ly/426DqLb
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Today, ACLS issued a joint statement with The Phi Beta Kappa Society on the March 20, 2025, executive order to close the US Department of Education: bit.ly/4hwNfb9
Dismantling of the Department of Education will result in catastrophic implications for students, faculty, communities, and the nation.
Dismantling of the Department of Education will result in catastrophic implications for students, faculty, communities, and the nation.
Joint Statement on Executive Order to Dismantle Department of Education
ACLS has issued a joint statement with The Phi Beta Kappa Society.
bit.ly
March 21, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Today, ACLS issued a joint statement with The Phi Beta Kappa Society on the March 20, 2025, executive order to close the US Department of Education: bit.ly/4hwNfb9
Dismantling of the Department of Education will result in catastrophic implications for students, faculty, communities, and the nation.
Dismantling of the Department of Education will result in catastrophic implications for students, faculty, communities, and the nation.
Reposted by Sarah Dees
📢 History should be told as it happened—not erased, distorted, or manipulated. The OAH, together with the @historians.org, condemns recent efforts to censor historical content.
Read the statement: 🔗 ow.ly/1cY650VhEw9
Read the statement: 🔗 ow.ly/1cY650VhEw9
March 13, 2025 at 8:23 PM
📢 History should be told as it happened—not erased, distorted, or manipulated. The OAH, together with the @historians.org, condemns recent efforts to censor historical content.
Read the statement: 🔗 ow.ly/1cY650VhEw9
Read the statement: 🔗 ow.ly/1cY650VhEw9
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Getting informal reports that as part of the mass layoffs at the Department of Education, the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) Office has been "abolished."
IFLE administers Title VI and Fulbright-Hays grant and fellowship programs.
A disaster.
www.ed.gov/about/ed-off...
IFLE administers Title VI and Fulbright-Hays grant and fellowship programs.
A disaster.
www.ed.gov/about/ed-off...
International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE)
The International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office administers Title VI (domestic) and Fulbright-Hays (overseas) grant and fellowship programs.
www.ed.gov
March 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Getting informal reports that as part of the mass layoffs at the Department of Education, the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) Office has been "abolished."
IFLE administers Title VI and Fulbright-Hays grant and fellowship programs.
A disaster.
www.ed.gov/about/ed-off...
IFLE administers Title VI and Fulbright-Hays grant and fellowship programs.
A disaster.
www.ed.gov/about/ed-off...
Reflecting on the talk I had w my upper-level class about sources yesterday, I had the thought that
AI-produced info = beepboops of primary sources + summaries & syntheses of secondary sources (so, tertiary sources), all masquerading as legit secondary sources (analyses of primary sources).
AI-produced info = beepboops of primary sources + summaries & syntheses of secondary sources (so, tertiary sources), all masquerading as legit secondary sources (analyses of primary sources).
March 12, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reflecting on the talk I had w my upper-level class about sources yesterday, I had the thought that
AI-produced info = beepboops of primary sources + summaries & syntheses of secondary sources (so, tertiary sources), all masquerading as legit secondary sources (analyses of primary sources).
AI-produced info = beepboops of primary sources + summaries & syntheses of secondary sources (so, tertiary sources), all masquerading as legit secondary sources (analyses of primary sources).
Reposted by Sarah Dees
The latest issue of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation is now available through Cambridge University Press. The Journal explores the interplay between religion and other spheres of American culture.
Follow along as we share more about these articles!
Follow along as we share more about these articles!
February 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The latest issue of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation is now available through Cambridge University Press. The Journal explores the interplay between religion and other spheres of American culture.
Follow along as we share more about these articles!
Follow along as we share more about these articles!
I would like to respectfully request that Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, and/or Taylor Swift purchase the Washington Post.
February 27, 2025 at 12:10 AM
I would like to respectfully request that Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, and/or Taylor Swift purchase the Washington Post.
Not only do I read in bars, I carry around a small unobtrusive book light so dimly lit bars do not foil my plans to read in them!
February 20, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Not only do I read in bars, I carry around a small unobtrusive book light so dimly lit bars do not foil my plans to read in them!
Reposted by Sarah Dees
The OAH & @historians.org advocate for the importance of history in American public life and for education that prepares students for informed citizenship and work. We have issued a joint statement on the EO “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling." 🔗 ow.ly/t1fj50UUl1z
February 5, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The OAH & @historians.org advocate for the importance of history in American public life and for education that prepares students for informed citizenship and work. We have issued a joint statement on the EO “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling." 🔗 ow.ly/t1fj50UUl1z
Reposted by Sarah Dees
in what meaningful way can we say that the constitution is in effect when an unelected and unaccountable billionaire is wielding state power to unilaterally cancel congressional appropriations?
Hearing that DOGE went into the Dept of Education today and shut down almost the entirety of the department's in-house research arm, Institute of Educational Sciences, cancelling contracts totally about $900m.
February 11, 2025 at 1:34 AM
in what meaningful way can we say that the constitution is in effect when an unelected and unaccountable billionaire is wielding state power to unilaterally cancel congressional appropriations?
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Musk is rumored to spend $40M on Super Bowl ads with his wildly distorted claims attacking USAID. Don’t believe them.
The last round are debunked below. wapo.st/3ErHBZM
And I'll unpack the reality in this 🧵, too. 1/13
The last round are debunked below. wapo.st/3ErHBZM
And I'll unpack the reality in this 🧵, too. 1/13
Analysis | The White House’s wildly inaccurate claims about USAID spending
Eleven out of 12 claims about the agency’s work are misleading, wrong or lack context.
wapo.st
February 9, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Musk is rumored to spend $40M on Super Bowl ads with his wildly distorted claims attacking USAID. Don’t believe them.
The last round are debunked below. wapo.st/3ErHBZM
And I'll unpack the reality in this 🧵, too. 1/13
The last round are debunked below. wapo.st/3ErHBZM
And I'll unpack the reality in this 🧵, too. 1/13
Reposted by Sarah Dees
Watching AI corrode my students' ability to formulate their own ideas and take stock of what they actually think about a text or idea in front of them, this is my nightmare. Cruising toward a fully two-tiered workforce, those who can reflect, communicate, and create on top, everyone else below.
February 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Watching AI corrode my students' ability to formulate their own ideas and take stock of what they actually think about a text or idea in front of them, this is my nightmare. Cruising toward a fully two-tiered workforce, those who can reflect, communicate, and create on top, everyone else below.