j.alicea

@Bopie5 congrats! Currently at Villanova, it’s a really great program with wonderful faculty. You might want to look into Jean Lutes and Travis Foster (if you haven’t already). PM me if you have questions, or want to see what courses are being offered (if you haven’t received it already). Congrats again and good luck on funding!

@Bopie5 congrats! Currently at Villanova, it’s a really great program with wonderful faculty. You might want to look into Jean Lutes and Travis Foster (if you haven’t already). PM me if you have questions, or want to see what courses are being offered (if you haven’t received it already). Congrats again and good luck on funding!

GOT INTO THE VILLANOVA MA! Funding pending, but I am OVER THE MOON! 

@3131 I will agree that the field is broad, but its openness is, I would argue, its strength. Ethnic studies, which really only came into being through coalition building among Black, Latin American, Asian American, Filipino, and Indigenous American student unions during the Civil Rights era, is an interdisciplinary, transhistoric, transnational, and translingual methodology that, in its conception, is meant to resist the Anglo- and Eurocentric trajectories of American canon building and historicism (though it has certainly expanded, its goals and its scope now more global than hemispheric). In a way, Ethnic studies departments are continuing the work (more so in the classroom than in the field of action) of the Rainbow Coalition. Additionally, current Whiteness studies theorists come straight out of Ethnic studies, so I wouldn't say that the racial category of whiteness is erased by Ethnic studies. While Jewish, Italian, and Irish literature (in the diaspora or at home) were not always at the center of Ethnic studies, today the field is certainly more open to these "white" ethnic groups. Finally, the idea that ethnicity refers to people of color - as opposed to a complex concept of identity that transcends concepts of race, nationality, periodicity, and language - is an Anglocentric construct (see Stuart Hall's "New Ethnicities" for more on the colonization of the term "ethnic"). This last point is crucial: part of what is liberating about the (revived) meaning of ethnicity, especially around the civil rights movement, is that it counters the idea of hegemonic and ethnically "pure" identities with an acknowledgement that the ways individuals are identified - as white, as black, as Latina/o, as Asian, and Indigenous - are constrictive acts of categorization, and that each of these categories is comprised of various ethnic differences that go unacknowledged when the many disciplines within Ethnic studies are not engaging. Thus, rather than studying Latinidades from a closed perspective that is only surveying Hispanic texts, an Ethnic studies approach to Latinidades might consider the Latina/o identity by considering the nexus of Anglo, Hispanic, Arab, Indian, and Indigenous influence in Latin American history and culture, across many periods.

I also want to point towards Sunaura Taylor's Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation. It's great.
The Deleuze & Guattari full chapter name is "Becoming-Intense, Becoming-Animal, becoming-Imperceptible" & is indeed from A Thousand Plateaus!
& if you like them, @NoNameGuy, you might like Brian Massumi's What Animals Teach Us About Politics which is really Deleuzian.
I think having studied philosophy is a huge asset for you! There's a lot of synergy between the two fields -- While in an "English" program, my focus is on philosophy or "theory" more often than not.
OH, and Alexis Shotwell's Against Purity has a few chapters on animals, and talks about veganism in a way I find compelling!

This is also an excellent point. And @barshmie I think you're right on the money in saying that its lifespan is dependent upon the framework within which it was conceived, and now it may have to be reconfigured precisely because it was (broadly speaking) successful.
@swarthmawr, your comment reminded me of the incredible history of "Ethnic Studies" at Columbia University, where I did my undergrad work. A professor I had in the Astronomy Dept (don't ask why I was taking a class there...lol) who's a POC was one of the leaders of the historic, courageous, and extraordinarily venerable hunger strikes of the late 1990s, which successfully persuaded the University to create an Ethnic Studies department. You're right that those kinds of efforts and the historical context of the desperate need for "Ethnic studies" must not be forgotten.

What a great point. I do wonder if this movement, though, which you have yourself described as "subversive" in its efforts to de-center white hegemony (a crucial goal), has its limits as a field of study due to the model in which it was conceived. 
Anyway,  this is an open-ended issue and I want to sit back and continue hearing what others have to say about this. Thank you @swarthmawr  

@3131 I will agree that the field is broad, but its openness is, I would argue, its strength. Ethnic studies, which really only came into being through coalition building among Black, Latin American, Asian American, Filipino, and Indigenous American student unions during the Civil Rights era, is an interdisciplinary, transhistoric, transnational, and translingual methodology that, in its conception, is meant to resist the Anglo- and Eurocentric trajectories of American canon building and historicism (though it has certainly expanded, its goals and its scope now more global than hemispheric). In a way, Ethnic studies departments are continuing the work (more so in the classroom than in the field of action) of the Rainbow Coalition. Additionally, current Whiteness studies theorists come straight out of Ethnic studies, so I wouldn't say that the racial category of whiteness is erased by Ethnic studies. While Jewish, Italian, and Irish literature (in the diaspora or at home) were not always at the center of Ethnic studies, today the field is certainly more open to these "white" ethnic groups. Finally, the idea that ethnicity refers to people of color - as opposed to a complex concept of identity that transcends concepts of race, nationality, periodicity, and language - is an Anglocentric construct (see Stuart Hall's "New Ethnicities" for more on the colonization of the term "ethnic"). This last point is crucial: part of what is liberating about the (revived) meaning of ethnicity, especially around the civil rights movement, is that it counters the idea of hegemonic and ethnically "pure" identities with an acknowledgement that the ways individuals are identified - as white, as black, as Latina/o, as Asian, and Indigenous - are constrictive acts of categorization, and that each of these categories is comprised of various ethnic differences that go unacknowledged when the many disciplines within Ethnic studies are not engaging. Thus, rather than studying Latinidades from a closed perspective that is only surveying Hispanic texts, an Ethnic studies approach to Latinidades might consider the Latina/o identity by considering the nexus of Anglo, Hispanic, Arab, Indian, and Indigenous influence in Latin American history and culture, across many periods.

@3131 I will agree that the field is broad, but its openness is, I would argue, its strength. Ethnic studies, which really only came into being through coalition building among Black, Latin American, Asian American, Filipino, and Indigenous American student unions during the Civil Rights era, is an interdisciplinary, transhistoric, transnational, and translingual methodology that, in its conception, is meant to resist the Anglo- and Eurocentric trajectories of American canon building and historicism (though it has certainly expanded, its goals and its scope now more global than hemispheric). In a way, Ethnic studies departments are continuing the work (more so in the classroom than in the field of action) of the Rainbow Coalition. Additionally, current Whiteness studies theorists come straight out of Ethnic studies, so I wouldn't say that the racial category of whiteness is erased by Ethnic studies. While Jewish, Italian, and Irish literature (in the diaspora or at home) were not always at the center of Ethnic studies, today the field is certainly more open to these "white" ethnic groups. Finally, the idea that ethnicity refers to people of color - as opposed to a complex concept of identity that transcends concepts of race, nationality, periodicity, and language - is an Anglocentric construct (see Stuart Hall's "New Ethnicities" for more on the colonization of the term "ethnic"). This last point is crucial: part of what is liberating about the (revived) meaning of ethnicity, especially around the civil rights movement, is that it counters the idea of hegemonic and ethnically "pure" identities with an acknowledgement that the ways individuals are identified - as white, as black, as Latina/o, as Asian, and Indigenous - are constrictive acts of categorization, and that each of these categories is comprised of various ethnic differences that go unacknowledged when the many disciplines within Ethnic studies are not engaging. Thus, rather than studying Latinidades from a closed perspective that is only surveying Hispanic texts, an Ethnic studies approach to Latinidades might consider the Latina/o identity by considering the nexus of Anglo, Hispanic, Arab, Indian, and Indigenous influence in Latin American history and culture, across many periods.

@3131 I will agree that the field is broad, but its openness is, I would argue, its strength. Ethnic studies, which really only came into being through coalition building among Black, Latin American, Asian American, Filipino, and Indigenous American student unions during the Civil Rights era, is an interdisciplinary, transhistoric, transnational, and translingual methodology that, in its conception, is meant to resist the Anglo- and Eurocentric trajectories of American canon building and historicism (though it has certainly expanded, its goals and its scope now more global than hemispheric). In a way, Ethnic studies departments are continuing the work (more so in the classroom than in the field of action) of the Rainbow Coalition. Additionally, current Whiteness studies theorists come straight out of Ethnic studies, so I wouldn't say that the racial category of whiteness is erased by Ethnic studies. While Jewish, Italian, and Irish literature (in the diaspora or at home) were not always at the center of Ethnic studies, today the field is certainly more open to these "white" ethnic groups. Finally, the idea that ethnicity refers to people of color - as opposed to a complex concept of identity that transcends concepts of race, nationality, periodicity, and language - is an Anglocentric construct (see Stuart Hall's "New Ethnicities" for more on the colonization of the term "ethnic"). This last point is crucial: part of what is liberating about the (revived) meaning of ethnicity, especially around the civil rights movement, is that it counters the idea of hegemonic and ethnically "pure" identities with an acknowledgement that the ways individuals are identified - as white, as black, as Latina/o, as Asian, and Indigenous - are constrictive acts of categorization, and that each of these categories is comprised of various ethnic differences that go unacknowledged when the many disciplines within Ethnic studies are not engaging. Thus, rather than studying Latinidades from a closed perspective that is only surveying Hispanic texts, an Ethnic studies approach to Latinidades might consider the Latina/o identity by considering the nexus of Anglo, Hispanic, Arab, Indian, and Indigenous influence in Latin American history and culture, across many periods.

I agree with you and @3131 in that the term insinuates that there is such thing as a monolithic “non-White” other, but I also want to push back (as a POC and student of “ethnic” literature, so no devil’s advocate here) to ask if there is relevance, any longer, to the origins and intentions of (capital E) Ethnic Studies as a field. 
From what I understand, the field was created as an attempt to subvert White political hegemony. It was a pan-ethnic movement built throughout the civil rights and post-soul eras to “revive” lost histories and identifications, and promote interdisciplinary thought. and certainly there are many problems with pan-Africanist and other similar traditions, but I think the history of this field is important. I need to research more, but I wonder if some of the departments that use this term do so because they housed thinkers who helped coin it. Which may no longer be relevant because of the work they did to carve out a space for non-white subjectivity in academia. 

@charliekkk From what I've heard and read, they only accept 0-3 students per year, and funding is not a guarantee, and you will be competing for jobs with grads from Lit and philosophy departments. From my understanding, it would be better to apply to either the PhD in philosophy or in literature, since both would allow you to take courses (up to four or five maybe) within the HOC program, plus you will still have some access to that departments faculty. From those I've spoken with who have recently graduated from the lit. program, they were able to secure funding for all the years, though they had to apply for external funding in the last 2 or 3 years.

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

@Sav Perhaps we'll meet at visiting day - or even be future cohortmates! Congrats!

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

Just got into UC Davis! Nice call from poi. 

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

In at SUNY Buffalo for their English PhD specializing in Poetics! First acceptance, feels amazing! This is a dream program for me! 

Just received call from POI to inform me of acceptance to Davis! From what I could glean from the call (with very poor reception), they are calling the accepted students and sending out emails tonight. Also was interviewed by Riverside (don't think this is normal, probably has more to do with the fact that my work doesn't quite fit regionally with what UCR is presently doing). With that said, it sounds like people should be hearing back from them sometime next week (once they know more about funding). Good luck, fellow UC applicants! 

Accepted to UNL’s MA but waitlisted for funding ?

@kendalldinniene I am sorry to hear that. Hope the Oregon state becomes an acceptance. Also, you will probably hear from UCs in the next few weeks!
@alexisnj and @jadeisokay It's only 2/1, so don't give up hope! That said, I understand the feeling (went through the same thing around the same time in my first shutout season). Truth is, what you can do to improve your odds is going to be rather different from what others do, so really you should talk to your LOR writers, who should be familiar with your materials, interests, and the programs that will fit, and see what they suggest. That said, here's what I did between my first shutout season (2014) and now. (I am no expert, so hopefully others join in with their experiences. Each journey is different)
I applied to philosophy PhDs straight out of undergrad with BA double major in philosophy and mathematics, and was shutdown. I then took several years off and taught high school math (don't recommend this) and eventually decided I wanted to go back to studying literature. I applied to MA programs to (1) see whether it was for me and (2) zero-in on my research interests (was initially interested in Anglo and Hispanic American modernisms, so that has shifted quite a bit). I spent about a year researching dozens of programs, down to a list of five programs that were best fit for my research interests. This "fit" part is difficult, and ultimately we never really know what an adcomm is looking for. That said, read their mission statement, look at who the chair of grad studies is, look at who is teaching past upper level grad courses, look for their most recent hires, check the departments job postings to see who they intend to hire over the next few years; these are all good ways to get a better understanding of the department culture. Past dissertations and current students are good to check out as well. I had been working on my writing sample for years, and I don't know what to say about that, other than make sure it's as flawless as you can get it (I had four faculty and three peers provide edits; for me, good work cannot happen in a vacuum). For SoPs, spend a good amount of time relating your work to POI's. I did tons of research on this; read articles and books from multiple faculty members, and if I found a faculty member whose interests matched my own, I made sure to find out who their colleagues were, and then read their work. One of my mentors advised to say "Dr. so-an-so and their colleagues," thereby casting a wider net. Also, reading past years Grad Student Handbooks will give you a better idea of how you will be getting your funding, language requirements,and  course requirements, all of which tells you more about the department and whether you fit/how to show the adcomm that you fit

@kendalldinniene I am sorry to hear that. Hope the Oregon state becomes an acceptance. Also, you will probably hear from UCs in the next few weeks!
@alexisnj and @jadeisokay It's only 2/1, so don't give up hope! That said, I understand the feeling (went through the same thing around the same time in my first shutout season). Truth is, what you can do to improve your odds is going to be rather different from what others do, so really you should talk to your LOR writers, who should be familiar with your materials, interests, and the programs that will fit, and see what they suggest. That said, here's what I did between my first shutout season (2014) and now. (I am no expert, so hopefully others join in with their experiences. Each journey is different)
I applied to philosophy PhDs straight out of undergrad with BA double major in philosophy and mathematics, and was shutdown. I then took several years off and taught high school math (don't recommend this) and eventually decided I wanted to go back to studying literature. I applied to MA programs to (1) see whether it was for me and (2) zero-in on my research interests (was initially interested in Anglo and Hispanic American modernisms, so that has shifted quite a bit). I spent about a year researching dozens of programs, down to a list of five programs that were best fit for my research interests. This "fit" part is difficult, and ultimately we never really know what an adcomm is looking for. That said, read their mission statement, look at who the chair of grad studies is, look at who is teaching past upper level grad courses, look for their most recent hires, check the departments job postings to see who they intend to hire over the next few years; these are all good ways to get a better understanding of the department culture. Past dissertations and current students are good to check out as well. I had been working on my writing sample for years, and I don't know what to say about that, other than make sure it's as flawless as you can get it (I had four faculty and three peers provide edits; for me, good work cannot happen in a vacuum). For SoPs, spend a good amount of time relating your work to POI's. I did tons of research on this; read articles and books from multiple faculty members, and if I found a faculty member whose interests matched my own, I made sure to find out who their colleagues were, and then read their work. One of my mentors advised to say "Dr. so-an-so and their colleagues," thereby casting a wider net. Also, reading past years Grad Student Handbooks will give you a better idea of how you will be getting your funding, language requirements,and  course requirements, all of which tells you more about the department and whether you fit/how to show the adcomm that you fit

@kendalldinniene I am sorry to hear that. Hope the Oregon state becomes an acceptance. Also, you will probably hear from UCs in the next few weeks!
@alexisnj and @jadeisokay It's only 2/1, so don't give up hope! That said, I understand the feeling (went through the same thing around the same time in my first shutout season). Truth is, what you can do to improve your odds is going to be rather different from what others do, so really you should talk to your LOR writers, who should be familiar with your materials, interests, and the programs that will fit, and see what they suggest. That said, here's what I did between my first shutout season (2014) and now. (I am no expert, so hopefully others join in with their experiences. Each journey is different)
I applied to philosophy PhDs straight out of undergrad with BA double major in philosophy and mathematics, and was shutdown. I then took several years off and taught high school math (don't recommend this) and eventually decided I wanted to go back to studying literature. I applied to MA programs to (1) see whether it was for me and (2) zero-in on my research interests (was initially interested in Anglo and Hispanic American modernisms, so that has shifted quite a bit). I spent about a year researching dozens of programs, down to a list of five programs that were best fit for my research interests. This "fit" part is difficult, and ultimately we never really know what an adcomm is looking for. That said, read their mission statement, look at who the chair of grad studies is, look at who is teaching past upper level grad courses, look for their most recent hires, check the departments job postings to see who they intend to hire over the next few years; these are all good ways to get a better understanding of the department culture. Past dissertations and current students are good to check out as well. I had been working on my writing sample for years, and I don't know what to say about that, other than make sure it's as flawless as you can get it (I had four faculty and three peers provide edits; for me, good work cannot happen in a vacuum). For SoPs, spend a good amount of time relating your work to POI's. I did tons of research on this; read articles and books from multiple faculty members, and if I found a faculty member whose interests matched my own, I made sure to find out who their colleagues were, and then read their work. One of my mentors advised to say "Dr. so-an-so and their colleagues," thereby casting a wider net. Also, reading past years Grad Student Handbooks will give you a better idea of how you will be getting your funding, language requirements,and  course requirements, all of which tells you more about the department and whether you fit/how to show the adcomm that you fit

Maybe check Rob Nixon’s Slov Violence: Environmentalism of the Poor; great read, and he definitely cites tons of other sources that are more focussed on intersection b/t ecocrit and postcolonial lit and theory. His book is probably more concerned with transnational perspectives and trajectories, but he has been doing postcolonial theory for a while, so you’ll get some of that, too.