Erik Braeden Lewis, PhD

Finishing up my paper, "Émigrés, Passports, and the Franco-Spanish Border: Spanish Notions of Asylum during the French Revolution." Come see me present this paper later this week at the SFHS in Philadelphia.

the English major is so important now with the rise of ChatGPT. yes, the humanities are in decline; they’re seen as less useful than STEM, but with the rise of AI, we need people thinking about humanity.

what is the human? what makes us human? what could be more important?

Of all of the things that I write as a college instructor, I think letters of recommendation might be the most important.

While it generally feels like a sad era in world history, we do get the keys to our brand new house today, so there is some happiness to be had.

Check out my list on Amazon

We were down a teacher, so my sister has spent the year doing the impossible with an ornery group of seniors and an eager group of emergent bilinguals. Her mission is to encourage reading (in TX ) and we'd be grateful if you would consider donating a book or two. +

www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

What are your favorite new books about the French Revolution?

What about your favorite new microhistories?

I need to burn through this library budget, and I want to know what everybody is reading!

Just submitted my Intent to Apply Memo for promotion from Instructor to Assistant Professor. Has it really already been that long?!?

#tenuretrack

yes to all this

Kitchen

Bathroom

Closet

A few pics from the walkthrough of our brand new house. So excited to be getting the keys very soon!

LOL

I always get a little sad when students drop my class right off the bat. Like, yes, I understand that it sounds intimidating to read for every class and then discuss it, but most of the points they earn in my classes are for effort and completion. I wish they would stick it out.
#tenuretrack

Flute with sheet music

And some days, instead of grading, we practice the flute.

#tenuretrack

Age of Revolutions An Open-Access, Peer-Reviewed Journal

ageofrevolutions.com

Lots of stuff about the age of revolutions in the context of modern events here. Most are quick reads. Very cool stuff.

Whenever I hear devs or other creatives who do worldbuilding say they *have* to use ch*tGPT to help with their lore bibles because no human could possibly collate such a huge and complex world… I glare in historian

Back in the office a week before contract date because I'm always behind, so maybe this will help??

#tenuretrack

What do you mean I actually have to write the paper I said I would write in my proposal?

LOL. Always behind.

#tenuretrack

I was awarded one of my college's inaugural AI Faculty Innovation Fellowships.

#tenuretrack

Grades submitted
Drink poured
Break started

#tenuretrack

Grading my end of semester reflection assignment (my favorite of the year). It asks: what is the most important thing you learned in this class and how did it impact your educational trajectory?

Y'all...the candor they have.

That end of the semester grading fury that I do to myself every semester...

I never learn.

#tenuretrack

I also play in my mom's jewelry box every time I go home!! It's fun, and it's so much stuff that means so much to her, that she smiles just getting it out for us to play in. I love this for you so much!

So confused. Why do we keep outsourcing our humanity to AI? We're just giving up all the fun parts of life, including our jobs...and for what?

Paper accepted. I'll be in Philadelphia in March. See y'all there!

#SFHS
#tenuretrack

QR code for Pokémon Go

Need a new friend on Pokemon Go?

I just submitted a proposal to be an AI Faculty Fellow for the Spring 2026 semester. Stepping way out of my comfort zone.

#tenuretrack

This sounds amazing!

I'm on the Budget Committee this year at my college. Just finished the meeting of budget requests...tough decisions ahead. Also, I probably have more questions now than answers about how college budgets work. Interesting stuff, y'all.

#tenuretrack

I do think students should learn to use AI to help them succeed in our hellish society. Just not in my humanities classroom, in which we learn about art humans created and in which we seek to improve and sharpen intellectual faculties unique to humans.

Nerd life is L I F E

And, graduate school at Florida State University in the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution was the coolest thing. There were so many other people studying the French Revolution with me in so many unique and interesting ways. Such a wonderful experience.