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John Cotts

@johncotts

Medieval historian, humanist. Working on the crusades, violence, and the twelfth century. Pursuing new interests in environmental and climate history.

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Latest posts by John Cotts @johncotts

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Europe’s Long Twelfth Century by John D. Cotts integrates social, economic, and religious perspectives to illuminate how Europeans renegotiated their place in a rapidly changing medieval world.

Second edition publishing tomorrow! πŸ“† https://bit.ly/4t6CBPp

18.02.2026 15:19 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Europe's Long Twelfth Century *** CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title *** John D. Cotts's Europe's Long Twelfth Century is an award-winning overview of a key phase in Europe's medieval history…

Publication Day!

Europe's Long Twelfth Century: Order, Anxiety, and Adaptation 1095-1229, Second Edition.

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/europes-l...

19.02.2026 17:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's worth clicking through for the comments... #AcademicSky

09.02.2026 02:39 πŸ‘ 26 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

The Trump Administration wants us to think of Trump's racism as a character flaw grandpa sometimes sadly lets express itself too aggressively, when the reality is that the white nationalism is the governing, organizing logic of his administration that all Republicans are complicit with.

06.02.2026 18:59 πŸ‘ 323 πŸ” 113 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 6

Huge points to CBS for playing Bob Weir’s β€œSaint of Circumstance” as commercial break transition music.

11.01.2026 19:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well, okay. Second edition still 3 months out, but available for pre-order. www.bloomsbury.com/us/europes-l...

26.11.2025 23:29 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Agreed.

11.10.2025 04:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Perceived Importance of College Hits New Low The percentage of Americans who consider a college education "very important" has slipped below the majority level.

it's weird how several decades of organized assault on higher education has led to a cratering of American public opinion on higher education

news.gallup.com/poll/695003/...

07.10.2025 13:39 πŸ‘ 76 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 3

I always wanted to teach From King Saul to the Fall of the Wall . . .

30.09.2025 00:22 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

When I was placed on the Professor Watchlist in 2021, people sent death threats about my children. I had security officers monitor my 8yo at school.

Where is all the outrage for those of us who have been targeted for years? Where is the outrage for our families?

My own colleagues are silent.

15.09.2025 20:25 πŸ‘ 17269 πŸ” 4818 πŸ’¬ 190 πŸ“Œ 107

There will be many casualties from UChicago ending ('pausing') PhD admissions in Humantities, but one which I am keenly aware of: this is close to a death sentence for teaching cuneiform in the United States (esp. Sumerian, Hittite, Elamite, Eblaite, Luwian) and it will affect the whole world.

27.08.2025 14:02 πŸ‘ 1289 πŸ” 537 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 38

SAY THIS FUCKING LOUDER

25.08.2025 17:28 πŸ‘ 187 πŸ” 39 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 6

It's my experience (from 25 yrs of teaching) that "learning management" tools like Canvas do nothing to facilitate student learning & make my job MORE, not less, time consuming. That additional time I put in contributes zero to improving the student experience. But Canvas gets our money regardless.

24.08.2025 14:58 πŸ‘ 819 πŸ” 106 πŸ’¬ 45 πŸ“Œ 34

Now that was an odd thing (I did not pick the title)! I have a bunch of hard copies of the issue if you would like one (DM me).

20.08.2025 22:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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And there were proofs . . .

20.08.2025 21:37 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

I am no constitutional scholar, but I can't help but feel that "the President gets to dictate what every university can teach and what every television station should broadcast" is closer to what the founding fathers were worried about when it comes to free speech than trigger warnings on syllabi.

23.07.2025 16:27 πŸ‘ 12085 πŸ” 2820 πŸ’¬ 69 πŸ“Œ 43

A ritual of a lost age that should absolutely continue--it's always cool (and helpful) to read them. Keep 'em comin', Berkeley.

23.07.2025 16:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My experience over 25 years of teaching college is that, for the most part, 18 year olds have not changed all that much. Most are curious, hungry for knowledge, anxious about what their future might hold, & desirous of figuring out what it looks like to be a good person in a fucked up world.

13.07.2025 15:17 πŸ‘ 166 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2

The American right isn't going after universities because of woke courses in woke majors, it just completely falls apart considering that the US right is also destroying STEM research. They hate *all* research and *all* universities and *all* professors because they're against expertise per se

10.07.2025 14:13 πŸ‘ 668 πŸ” 158 πŸ’¬ 15 πŸ“Œ 4

Life rules:

It is never ok to yell β€œFREEBIRD!” at the band.

It is always okay to yell β€œIT’S ENRICO PALZZO!” when the home plate umpire takes off his mask.

14.06.2025 17:19 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

WXRT Chicago with the Brian Wilson medley for the absolute gut punch . . .

11.06.2025 17:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Yes, you did vote to deport moms.

31.05.2025 15:49 πŸ‘ 53259 πŸ” 9280 πŸ’¬ 4726 πŸ“Œ 1729

Late Roman historian here. Please stop perpetuating the narrative of a fall of Rome triggering Dark Ages. That’s not what happened at all.

27.05.2025 14:58 πŸ‘ 78 πŸ” 25 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 2

An amazing thread.

10.05.2025 15:47 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I had an inkling about AI being used badly, so I did a quick check and good Lord. It really does make stuff up.

09.05.2025 23:08 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Yeah, I went there . . .

28.04.2025 00:32 πŸ‘ 56 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Bears sign Power Echols and Major Burns in a name game that could shake up NFL defenses A Bold Entrance into the NFL In an unexpected move, the Chicago Bears have elevated the hype surrounding team signings

My inner Gen-Xer is somewhat annoyed that the Bears signed a guy named β€œMajor Burns” and half the folks in the ESPN comments don’t get the joke.

motociclismo.pt/en/bears-sig...

28.04.2025 00:13 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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a chef says " an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin " in front of three men ALT: a chef says " an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin " in front of three men
26.04.2025 01:47 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

WXRT just played George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" in honor of Pope Francis, who was apparently a Beatles fan. Nice.

21.04.2025 17:27 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Q&A on New Book About Critical Race Theory’s Origins Aja Martinez and Robert Smith say in a new book that the roots of CRT show that the academic discipline is uniquely American and an extension of the civil rights movement.

Reclaiming the Narrative About Critical Race Theory

Aja Martinez and Robert Smith say in a new book that the roots of CRT show that the academic discipline is uniquely American and an extension of the civil rights movement. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/43RMcPM

17.04.2025 15:36 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3