KRC

After three years of having my current cell phone number, I got my first spam phone call from an actual 10-digit phone number today. I'm getting to the point now where freaking out/getting the rage is almost hard to muster.

I think this is very similar to my approach. I look at the intersections of psychoanalysis and the literature of animal rights (including literature that isn't rights-based but gets lumped in with animal rights) and critique the latter from the standpoint of the former. One issue that I've been working with in particular is the role of affect in conceiving of animals as food (and as objects to be exploited more generally) as an issue unto itself, and more specifically how this is dealt with in AR. In Singer and Regan's work, for example, it's hardly addressed at all in favor of legalistic/and or argumentative forms of reasoning. "These animals share these qualities with humans, ergo they should be extended rights/we should not exploit them." By contrast, in films like Earthlings, the whole thing is affect, which I suggest is equally "self-sabotaging." "Here is horrifying image after horrifying image that will make you weep from minute one to the end of the film." Psychoanalysis comes into play (specifically Freudian/Lacanian) viz. it's unique theory of affect which it includes (along with signifiers, identifications, etc.) in a theoretical but also, and more importantly, clinical effort to "let the unconscious speak" against the discourse of the other, against the dominant discourse of meat-eating/animal exploitation. Because of psychoanalysis (which is my main AOI, followed closely by AS) I applied mostly to english/comp lit/specialty depts. I spent innumerable hours scouring teh interwebz looking for departments with both AS and Psya These programs are not necessarily great places for AS but are stellar programs and/or good homes for psychoanalysis. Stanford MTL Emory ILA Buffalo English Brown MCM The rest all have at least some good connection to AS and psya. Vanderbilt Philosophy (Kelly Oliver <3 <3 <3 ) Cornell Comp. Lit. Columbia English SUNY Albany (damned Cary Wolfe taught here just a few years ago) Penn State Chicago English Wow this was a long post.

Hey digitality, I have the same main research interest yet we don't have one program in common Can you expand on your interests? I'm very perplexed as to how we have no progams in common despite a very niche AOI. Are you coming at "the animal question" from a social sciences angle?

If an acceptance comes your way (or to anyone with these interests) I would stalk Mark Hansen like a predator. His work his PHENOMENAL in this regard and for better or worse, he gets overshadowed by Hayles in the public eye from time to time.

My thoughts exactly.

I did my thesis on Katherine Hayles and am very interested in Mark Hansen's work, but I didn't apply this year. Although systems theory and new media are two of my main interests, the dept. didn't have almost anyone in my first and second AOI's. Best of luck to any admits; it's an amazing program. Among the many conclusions one could draw from this data, the GRE scores give quantitative proof to what I already suspected--stats mean relatively little in most departments like this.

My worst nightmare: Just sent two emails from my work account to the account I applied with (Gmail). The first one went through instantly. The second did not. I resent the second ... twice... still nothing. Only under these circumstances would I see this as a crime punishable by death.

:lol: Oh the things this time of the year does to us.

Yeah, OIy lifts do have a tendency to scare people off. Luckily both Stronglifts and Starting Strength are designed to be done without any olympic lifts at all. Stronglifts doesn't have them anywhere iirc, and you can do the SS variation that replaces cleans with chins (the Practical Programming variation).

Couldn't agree more. That plus the training economy that it offers and it's a wonder that anyone that lifts doesn't do a program like this.

Actually, Rippetoe's program came first and has been utilized for decades before Stronglifts. Doing either is far better than faffing about the gym using machine after machine though. It is a fantastic program that will give you REAL results quickly provided you stick to it *exactly* and eat/sleep well. I did Rippetoe's program for a while and also Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The thought of giving up BJJ to be a poor grad student is horrifying, but luckily a few of the schools I've applied to have "grappling clubs" which most times are close to BJJ or submission wrestling. More common though are judo clubs which seems cool. How has your progress been (you can PM if you'd like )? Good thread and good luck with Stronglifts!

I had the same problem. The status for the transcripts kept saying "not received" despite uploading both of them at the time of application (well before the deadline). I kept calling, too, and the rather snarky representative with graduate admissions said that we need to submit two official hard copies... despite this (to my knowledge) not being mentioned on the application. She said that it's up to the department if they review the application without the hard copy transcripts. I can't see how they would just trash an app with e-copies because of some red-tape (but, I suppose, stranger things have happened). I rushed two copies from both of my schools late last week, and one has been uploaded. As a side, I applied in Philosophy (the only phil dept. on my radar) so perhaps the layout changes per department, but am I the only one who thought the Vanderbilt application was heinously ugly? It looked like it was something from the geocities days, maybe worse. By far the least professional app. site I encountered (out of 10).

This is pretty much what you have to do. When you apply for PhD level study, you have it hammered into your brain that you must "fit, fit, fit" with the department. This is NOT the case in business sectors, AT ALL. One of the biggest obstacles to getting a "real job" is you telling yourself that you wouldn't get it, or that you're not qualified. Well, if you have a Masters from an Ivy, you're most likely in the top 5% of ALL applicants for the large majority of private sector jobs. Just keep on truckin'.

So, so true!

Yeah there have been many interviews at Emory posted this year. Mostly in the "hard" sciences but I count 10 in the humanities and social sciences so far...

I gotta say all these interviews being given out by multiple departments at Emory besides CompLit and ILA is making me intensely nervous. Perhaps it's time to step away from the Results page...

Actually, more significant for me was Silverman retiring. That plus the whole, UC-is-in-the-shitter thing.

I know that the University of California is in a disastrous state right now, but does anyone have any details about UC Santa Cruz's Hist of Consciousness and/or Berkeley's Rhetoric programs? I had intended on applying to both but actually applied to neither as it looks like HistCon is completely dismantled while Rhetoric seems to be going down that path. Just curious.

The things we do!

Hey, didn't see this... It was an XV535. Not much, but a great bike to learn on. Sad to see it go. I'm deciding between a Gladius/SV650 and Street Triple (and leaning heavily toward the latter). You?

Thanks, all; great responses. This issue was really the only one that made me think twice about my application package, and your responses definitely helped. I suspect I'm older and have more work experience than a lot of applicants, so hopefully the AC's take the direct tone of the SOP as a sign of maturity, professionalism and focus. I really have a hard time believing that academic in the humanities (of all people) want to hear any more than a sentence or two about how literature changed my life...

There's nothing wrong with creating a little distance between oneself and those that would be scared of someones appearance enough to speculate on their history of felonious activity!

Egads! Something tells me this may have more to do with your personal opinion than the picture of the academic climate you're painting, no? I wouldn't go around forcing everyone to accept you for the unique butterfly you are by refusing to wear anything but tank tops at all times, but my thought is that if you go out of your way to make yourself feel awkward, this will transfer to those around you, and thus play it by ear. If you somehow "know" that tattoos will get you fired instantly, than you might want to think about covering up. It's not the end of the world. But I don't believe its anything like the above poster made it out to be, especially since he/she "luckily" has no tattoos.

This pretty much sums up where I am with the whole situation. There's nothing you can change now, why go crazy over it?

I've been fairly calm, actually surprisingly calm about waiting it out since all my apps were submitted. The humanities usually give decisions between Mid-Feb and April so I still have a bit of time, but the more I reflect on my application package now that its out of my hands, the more I realize I think I screwed myself. My SOP was essentially a dissertation proposal. I've been told and I really believe that it is a fantastic and innovative proposal, but it's almost ONLY a proposal and nothing else. I had quite a turn-around in my undergraduate career yet I didn't mention a word of it, very brief mention of fit, almost no mention of why I wanted to pursue graduate study... At the time of writing it, I suppose I was thinking two things: first, that the questions were almost platitudes and that no ad com member actually wanted to read another set of hackneyed responses, and second that the answers to those questions would be fairly obvious in reading the SOP itself (I want to study with you because you have a renowned psychoanalytic institute, something with which have deep experience as evidenced by my CV and the quality of my proposed project, etc. etc.) Again it's submitted, and there's no use in freaking out, but regardless I think I'm screwed. Your thoughts?