Appppplication

Youre better off in complit. Language reqs vary from dept to dept,and you'll have time to learn another language if necessary after you start the PhD.

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I start with background information on the author and his/her approach. Before I get started I need a general idea of not only the author's approach but what the book is about, what the author's stance is on certain pertinent issues of interest, and generally what overall he/she is trying to say/do. That usually encompasses google searches, reading over some available secondary sources, discussions with people familiar with the work, academia.edu papers published on the book, etc. After getting a general handle on what the book is tackling, why, what broader critiques or new positions are put forward, and from what theoretical/philsophical approaches, I then begin reading. Before completing my M.A. program, I'd read and pencil mark interesting passages, underline important parts, and fold page corners of important sections. As I've progressed through my M.A. I've found that I need to start reading and marking up the book with pencil (Never pen or highlighter), and typing up those notes along with the ideas they provoke either chapter by chapter or as I read (at the computer). With such complex books I find it impossible to remember all the ideas and important thoughts and critical insights even a week after reading. I have to type up reading notes. If I don't type up notes I'm either casually reading, or I'm expecting to go to a class on that book in the very near future where I will write copious notes from the class lecture. And I save all my class notebooks and typed up files for potential teaching notes, dissertation notes, or review or whatever.

You're better off taking this question over to the Chronice of Higher Ed forums. That forum is composed of more phd and professors and advanced grad students. I'm sure there are already threads on this topic addressing this issue.

Love this song and this album! And congrats everyone!!

I will be attending UC Riverside!!! Can't wait!!! Now just have to patiently get through the final weeks of my M.A. program!

It's all about fit, meaning at least 2 or more people working theoretically the way you want to work (sometimes I think theoretical fit is more important than literary area fit). In order to determine this you must be at least focused enough in your own work so that you know where you fit in. Fit can trump everything so long as you are ballpark competitive.

the 3000 pages claim may be another form of the age old "when i was your age I had to walk two miles in the snow barefoot to school everyday and the snow never melted, even during summer school, which lasted 12 hours a day".

If you have to get a letter from one program to write and give to the other program showing that you're free, that sounds like a huge hassle not worth signing a couple weeks early over, IMO.

I think you'll be fine. Other than the standards that you mentioned, language fluency goes a long way, both reading and writing, especially if you can TA or teach intro courses to that foreign language. If the MA program is in the native language of the country you are in (German Lit in German in Germany for example at a German University) that will really help you.

When I signed my phd contract a couple weeks ago it had a paragraph devoted to this. It said something like you can rescind your acceptance until April 15th with no big deal, but after April 15th you have to write a formal letter explaining the circumstances. It made it seem like not a big deal, but from what I've heard it is looked down upon and is bad form. Every school that goes by the April 15th rule expects that you may wait until April 15th to let them know. At a visiting day one prof even mentioned that they will most likely not know who their cohort is until April 15th. If I were you I would let your DGS at the 90% school know that you are very very seriously considering attending but you are still waiting on some notifications that may take up to April 15th. I'm sure you wish it would arrive sooner, but it is beyond your control.

I actually like that he interviewed himself. Honestly, I think the bros need to hear people like Franco say things like I'm mostly gay, or that you can fuck a guy and not identify as gay, because those bros ain't reading Butler or Puar in their spare time. Plus, sexuality ultimately is fluid and not bound by identity claims. The tricky part here is not maintaining stigma against those who identity as gay rather than queer, MSM, etc., and Franco battles that too by identifying with the aesthetic and cultural aspect of gay life. With Franco it's important to think about who his main audience is, and although he's not publishing groundbreaking queer scholarship, he's having a huge impact on mainstream society when it comes to sexuality. I would like for the bros to ponder that they could sleep with another guy and not be gay.

I like Franco. When it comes to queer issues he's informed and on board and making a huge impact. His recent interview where the gay james franco interviews the straight james franco was funny and clearly referenced queer theory. My problem is the Hollywood movies he does like The Interview. The Interview was filled with racial and gender stereotypes. Although the last 30 minutes was hilarious and over the top, I wasn't happy that he would agree to a film with these things in it given his clearly political intellectual/creative work (both fiction and films he makes on his own). Jack Halberstam ripped on Franco in a lecture I saw on Youtube over what he did with the film Cruising and his general endeavors, and I often have wondered why Halberstam took such a perspective towards him, even if he thinks Franco's work is mediocre. Most of Franco's work is clearly queer and for political good. No other Hollywood persona has ever taken such an approach. For that alone Franco has earned my support.

You're welcome. It's really good. he goes through every song from Gish and Siamese Dream and talks about how it came about. Including the James Iha writing controversy.

This. That's why I thought it was originally a troll. I was surprised by the tone and drama and (sorry) naivete. It seemed as if the OP really DIDNT know what she/he was getting into with academics. AND, inside hiring, hiring through networking, hiring through recommendation is pretty much how all professional jobs work. That's not to say it's fair, but it should be no surprise. What to do about the inequalities caused by it is another question. I feel bad for the OP because her/his mentors let her/him down by not being real about academic life. OR the OP just didn't listen.