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bhr

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Everything posted by bhr

  1. honestly, I IRB everything I touch that could ever potentially turn into a presentation or paper. If there aren't any risk to subjects, submit it as exempt and it should go through no problem. I'm guessing your university, like most, has a pretty in-depth support system for IRBs including training modules and documentation, so I would start there to figure out what exempt reason you can claim (for submission, not to avoid it)
  2. My department (for some pretty obvious reasons) is very social-media friendly. I'm FB friends with most of the faculty, including ones I've had little engagement with, the program director, the department head, and my committee. I use my Twitter account DMs to message some faculty (who have expressed a preference for that over email), and have used FB messenger to talk to others. FB is also where most social gatherings and departmental events get planned, so it makes sense to be friends with everyone. I'm also, for what it's worth, FB friends with some of the program directors and profs I've met at other schools at conferences (and one major luminary that I friended on a whim who accepted). I should be better about filtering my account, but FB me is pretty much PG13 me. I have a private and a public twitter, however, and public twitter is very tame, if not always 100% professional. That's also the only account where I will interact with my own students, since it's public. I have a significant enough age gap with my FY students that I teach that I'm not comfortable with them on FB, even after finishing the course, but I encourage them to tweet me questions, interesting readings/stories/videos, comments, or music requests (I play music during some in-class activities and if they don't pick something it's going to be all 90s alt-rock (which is lost on the average 18 year old). TL:DR It really depends on the culture of your department and your own comfort level. Look to see what the folks there before you are doing.
  3. Here's the thing, I don't think we need to say "that's all for literature." In fact, I think literature (and more importantly, literary criticism), linguistics, ect. still have a valuable place in the academy. I just think that, even if that's what you want to teach, it's worth asking "how can I make this work relevant and visible in professional, technical and academic writing?" Maybe that work is through web authorship and remix and asking students to create websites and tumblrs about their reading work. Maybe it takes the form of videos, or infographics, or presentations and the use of visual rhetoric. Maybe it's publishing a student literary magazine that's more than just a series of poems and short stories. There are a lot of things you can teach through traditional English education, but the comments I've seen, time and time again, is that English PhDs believe that that work is somehow beneath them, or inappropriate for them. Just like people who think that teaching FYC is somehow a lesser thing (even though it, potentially, has far more impact on a student). For a decade or more, as C/R (and, more importantly for me, Computers and Writing) has fought for recognition, the question has been how to make the work in those fields visible in traditional English programs. As administrative demands shift more money to lines in C/R and away from traditional English, isn't it worth asking the same questions about English? Look, VM can dismiss my point of view again because I'm an MA, but I'm also not blind to the reality of the situation. We have a model built out of an era where only the children of privilege went to college, and have maintained it through the GI Bill and the post-Korean war enrollment boom (when many students were still not paying for college) and for another 60 years. Eventually the arms race in buildings and technology and amenities (among other things) priced college out of an affordable range for self-financed students, and now finally students are asking about return on their investment. That's a good thing. It means, as they understand that they are investing in themselves, that we get students who are more motivated, more engaged, ect. Maybe we need to consider other models and forms of assessment for hiring educators. If students are choosing not to go into Arts and Letters, is that their fault? The government's fault? or is it our (collective) fault for not creating meaningful value in the work we (collectively) are doing? Want an example of how that can work? Look at how art programs have launched UX and Design majors. Or GIS work coming out of anthropology or human geography. We don't need to bemoan (and I'm not sure if you really are doing this) that your students are taking English as a double major or minor to support what they see as career major, but instead should figure out how to turn our work into something they see value in.
  4. I wish, just once, that VM would be intellectually honest in these threads. I know I mentioned this in the other one, but she's putting forward a picture of the academy that just isn't true. First, the breakdown is not 75/25 Adjunct/TT, as she claims, it's 75/25 NTT/TT. That matters, as there are, as I've said before, quite a lot of NTT jobs that pay well and offer career and research support. Maybe the conversation we should be having isn't that all NTT jobs are life-sucking, soul-killing pits of despair, but, rather, on how people who want to teach still can while not having a PhD. The problem is that people like VM measure success purely on having a 2/2 TT line, but, in reality, that isn't the only successful outcome for a graduate student. The truth is, happily, that you can have a fine career in a lot of forms, and instead of maligning those positions, we should ask questions like how do we support the conversion of part time adjuncts to full time staff, how best to prepare graduates for applying for those jobs. Maybe I come at this a little differently than most people on here. I spent more than a decade working outside of the academy, making anywhere from minimum wage to six figures, depending on the year. I understand that "elite" jobs are only a small part of the total picture. I also know more than a few people who are quite happy in NTT lines. I can name a dozen schools, off the top of my head, that offer +$50k starting salaries for instructors, not including summer teaching money. That's competitive, by the way, with the starting salary for humanities TT lines at most state schools, including the University of Maryland, Virginia and Wisconsin system, at least. Yes, those positions are teaching, rather than research focused, but they are still supported jobs in the academy. The problem isn't just that there are too many people going to grad school, and it's not that WPAs are evil monsters sucking out the souls of English PhDs, but it's that the people coming out are prepared to take jobs and teach courses that simply don't exist anymore. The fact is (and studies consistently back this up), students aren't interested in English degrees anymore. The reason C/R and Tech Comm have grown while Lit/English programs have suffered isn't that they are more compliant with administrative demands, but that they are producing people who can teach the courses that are in demand. What does that mean in relation to the "Ponzi Scheme"? Well, it means that VM is right. Programs do mislead and inadequately prepare their students for the realities of the job market. You simply can't, in good conscience, be producing a student who studies the themes of industrialization in Milton every year when there aren't jobs that will hire them. English PhDs need to make sure that their graduates are well-situated in comp theory and (the dreaded) best practices, have teaching experience in PW or FYW courses, and understand how to apply to the jobs that really exist. More students should be pushed into MAs and MFAs, since that is what many of the jobs are looking for. Students should be being prepared to teach online, hybrid and community college courses. Programs should be making sure that all students are graduating debt free (or close to it), since jobs are paying well enough to live, but not well enough to dig out of debt.
  5. To be fair, this post was never about that until VirtualMessage came in with her weird grudge against WPAs and Comp/Rhet, and her bizarre lack of understanding about what's causing the increase in adjunct jobs. Back to the discussion, however, I want to add that I think there needs to be a line clarified between adjunct/PT labor and NTT jobs. If tenure completely disappears, it doesn't mean that there won't be decent, full time, well paying (relatively) jobs in the academy. The truth is that there are incredibly few jobs in this country with the protections offered by tenure, but that doesn't mean that every job is low-paying and precarious. I have friends working in NTT, full time jobs that make a decent living, get travel and research support, and have reasonable job security. No, they aren't teaching 2/2 loads at R1s, (more like 4/4 at state schools) but they are doing fine. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a disappointment to wind up in one of those positions as a PhD, but there is a difference between being a full time lecturer and being an adjunct.
  6. I will disagree with you on one point here. C/R programs, sadly, are growing faster than the job market. Now, the good news for phds is that they will be taking some of those visiting prof/contingent lines normally going to Lit folks, but there aren't as many jobs as graduates in our field either (and that's not going to change with some programs producing dozens of PhDs every year.) Another point worth mentioning is that a C/R MA, unlike a Lit one, is actually marketable.
  7. Is that the fault of WPAs and Rhet Comp programs, or the English Literature programs producing far too many PhDs they can't employ while reserving 2/2 tenure track lines for professors teaching six student seminars? Those adjunct spots wouldn't be nearly as prevalent if departmental budgets (salary and support) reflected the actual enrollment in courses. Mind you, R/C programs (and the associated TC programs) are producing scholars in what are realistically the only growing segment of either field, including professors who can teach business, professional and technical writing programs. Demand for those programs are supporting overpaid TT faculty in English at small colleges across the country. I actually agree with VM that WPAs wind up overseeing staffs that are made up of too many underemployed instructors who barely make ends meet, though I'm not sure how that's the fault of composition scholars and not the fault of structural problems with the academy. In addition, a good WPA is one that is up to date on current scholarship in the field and makes sure that non-tenure faculty (either fixed term or adjunct), are trained in best practices, provided with opportunities for research, service, and improvement, and supported when they try to find new jobs. They should be (and usually, from my experience, are) advocates for their instructors.
  8. Find local conferences. Your field, related fields, something you just find interesting. Find out who is organizing them, email offering to work in exchange for registration (they always need help), and just attend the crap out of sessions, keynotes, mixers, ect. This year (my first as a grad student) I've worked at three conferences outside of my field, but have met some great people, learned some things I hope to apply in my own teaching, and made contacts that I've already used. I too went to a tiny-ass school with no reputation, but I lucked out that we hosted a conference in my field (where I learned about the field for the first time). Go to guest lecturers, meet and greets, ect. at your campus, and other campuses, if possible. If you are in Orange County, you've got UCI and CS-F close by, and they will both host conferences and speakers in your field and outside of it. UCLA, USC and the city of LA will also be good places to look to for those opportunities. Look for undergraduate research and poster competitions as well. It's a good way to get some early CV lines, interact with professors, ect.
  9. From watching my friends on the market this year, let me add "be willing and able to teach business/tech writing classes." The people I know with tech and business writing experience (mostly out of top 20 programs, admittedly) all wound up with multiple TT offers. True, most of the R1s appear to have been filled by lateral movers, but that opened up lines (that are still opening, as far as I can tell) elsewhere.
  10. I did before applying for my MA, but, since my research interests were less defined and in flux, it wasn't as helpful. I will say that you don't always have to email the DGS in these cases (and probably shouldn't most of the time.) Reaching out to pre-tenure professors, who do a lot of the heavy lifting on committees, will likely result in better contacts anyway. All it takes is one advocate in the room in most cases, so building any relationship helps. Also, for goodness sake, send thank you/follow up notes after these conversations.
  11. So, I'm a first time applicant next fall, rather than a repeater, but I want to pass on a piece of advice I received from an old prof. Last week I attended our major conference, and I spent most of the week going up to program directors to introduce myself. I said, basically, "Hi, my name is X, my research interest is Y, would I fit in your program?" The responses I got ranged from introductions to professors (or just their names) who worked in my area, to offers to review my materials, to being informed that I wouldn't be a good fit with their current direction. I don't see why that conversation can't happen (after May 1st) over email as well. Remember, these folks want the best students they can find, so if you seem genuinely interested in figuring out your fit, they will talk to you. You need to get as much information as possible, as the websites may not be updated/accurate. Maybe that means that you need to change your list? Maybe a professor you like is starting new work in a different area, so they won't be taking new students (but it hasn't been announced) or going on sabbatical, or retiring?
  12. " I propose to this thread that we create a new conversation: "How do we move past the stress, professional posturing, the anxieties, and the crap of this conference, hack it, use it for our own uses and purposes, and find something meaningful out of the experience?" So, I had been thinking about Heja's challenge before we got to Cs, and figured out how to "hack" it for my own purposes. For me, as an academic newcomer and non-presenter, I decided that I was just going to talk to as many people as possible about my research, and see what happened. I even commandeered a table in the action hub for three hours to show off a project I'm working with with a pair of my fellow students. I had program directors, WPAs, students and even Peter freaking Elbow sit down and listen to something I was working on and give feedback, which was far more valuable, to me, than sitting in a session or two during that time.
  13. There will also be the Kairos reviews coming out over the summer, which will include plenty of notes (and some links). Just checking the hashtags for a particular session may help as well. I know during a few of my sessions there was as robust a conversation in the twitter feed as in the actual room.
  14. If it was a competitive funding award (one you had to apply for), it may be worth mentioning in your SOP as well. It shows an additional level of dedication, that people believe that you are capable of the work involved, and that you can focus 100% on your scholarship and not need to work.
  15. For what's it is worth, Bedford posted that they've pushed back the start time by an hour, so people can still do SIGs/Scholars and then come over. Since I had to wait to book my flight, I'm now finding myself seeking out all the free meals I can.
  16. Do a twitter search for "conference name" and accepted.
  17. Embarrassingly, since I nearly went there originally as an undergrad, I always thought that 'Cuse was a public school. Sadly, no one has brought meals to any of my classes so far in grad school, but I did manage to get seven free meals between workshops, a conference and recruitment last week.
  18. I think Carnegie Mellon and RPI are the only major programs at private universities (and both are great programs). My personal theory is that entrenched lit faculty at the Ivies (and elsewhere) stifled the chance of R/C programs at their schools.
  19. I went to the same HS as Ed Norton, (graduated with his sister), and met him a number of times. Also Linda Tripp was a regular at the restaurant I worked at. I also worked security for a music venue, and met/spent time with a number of major stars as part of that job.
  20. I'm a non-trad and basically came back to school for the degree/PW stuff. I wound up helping to host a conference, meeting a bunch of awesome r/c (well, mostly TC/CW) folks, and decided that was the place for me. Honestly, the time between learning that the field existed and applying to grad school was probably <3 months.
  21. rhet comp people are always happy. There are jobs at the end of our rainbow (we expect).
  22. Welcome, and, going by the acceptances you list, I guess I'll see you in Lansing this week.
  23. From my MA experience last year, I got the sense that some programs over-accept, anticipating a certain number of rejections, then repurpose those unused funding slots for MA offers. Also, that Madison stat has to be bullshit, unless they really have a 30+ person cohort. 12% of several hundred applicants seems ridiculously high.
  24. I finished my BS a decade (nearly) older than you are, at a lower tier state school, with a crappy GPA, and now find myself in one of the best programs in my field. My suggestion is to leverage your age and life experience as much as possible. Talk to your professors like an adult, tell them up front what you want to do, and ask about opportunities that will supplement your plans. Find those editing gigs, unpaid event staff, assistantship opportunities and take every one you can handle. Look for guest speakers and conferences at the Michigan schools (UM, EMU and MSU all host a major event or two in every field, it seems) and start meeting people in the field. People are going to automatically assume you carry some experience and knowledge, because of your age, and while that can be uncomfortable in the classroom, it will pay off while networking.
  25. Pro/Heja, I'm determined to get a group together for drag queen bingo at some point. Otherwise, I'm determined to get as much face time with PhD program DGSs as I can. I've built my entire presentation schedule around that.
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