antihumanist

Thank you. Also, for posthuman doubters, it's essentially marxist materialism on steroids. The ultimate decentered subject that consists of networks, ecologies, and emergences. Obviously, posthumanism is not necessarily somehow exterior or outside of humanism, rather, it's a critique of humanism that decenters the idea that there is any essential "human" kernel or seat of self. In order to do so, you look at the agencies that objects, animals, things, and spaces provide for, interact and merge with, (and in some readings (That I like personally) literally produce) a subject. If you take the axiom that there is no essential human, suddenly the designing and production of things that we make takes on important political and ethical contours that humanism can elide. In fact, while posthumanism decenters the subject completely, it has a redeeming factor in that you can modify, enhance, or change things (and therefore your subjectivity and position). It's actually a liberating politics, in a strange way. I could go on about it, but that's the very quick summary of what it is and why it's relevant 0 @fishbucket and @rems)

But can the embodied nature of experiencing these works be? There's a phenomenological difference between reading a novel and watching a film or participating in a theater (or participating in a film/novel or reading a play). To imply that medium specificity doesn't matter anymore is even more reductionist than the reductionism that you're arguing against! Not that things like automatisms can't inform our understanding of the similarities between different medium, but to imply that just because we have digital transfer that suddenly there aren't phenomenological and even ontological differences between different forms of text is maddenlingly simple. Not to say anything of the material conditions in which texts (digital and analog) are created. The difference between a PS3 video game and Angry Birds is also a distinction in medium that the "digital collapse" completely elides. Sorry, I just cannot get behind sidelining media specificity at all. -------- Ironically though, I totally agree that a canon as such is totally meaningless. This isn't to say that a general knowledge of different historical epochs isn't valuable or useful. An understanding of how certain cultural movements react to previous epochs is important - both in an aesthetic and materialistic sense. But, to imply that from following a series of dialectical shifts, picking the "best" from medieval, renaissance, 18thC, Romantic, Victorian, Contemporary we can somehow arrive at a "canon" is both futile and pointless. What does it even accomplish to pick out authors from their historio-economic contexts into a sacred space anyway? This isn't to say it's not useful to give students great works of art - but within any given class shouldn't you have to justify WHY you've picked any given work in some way beyond "it's the canon." (and along with that, shouldn't any study of Renaissance literature somehow speak to current and modern political concerns, rather than simply being a "course on Renaissance literature") For the record, I picked option 5 - I think it's more that there's an infinite slippage from "canonicity" into "non-canon" that's simply untenable. This isn't to say we shouldn't argue for the cultural and political relevance of works, but that all works have these potentials in some context, and that context is what matters more than an absolute "these works are the great works." Aren't the great failures as interesting as the great successes? <edit 2> I totally agree with everything jrockford said.

ALL OF THE KARMA!

While I totally agree with you, interesting counterpoint: every program except Irvine, I always mentioned 2~3 professors that I might see myself working with. For Irvine, I only mentioned one professor in my SOP, and it's the one place I got in. Of the others, I was 3-3 (waitlist/rejection). So it's very bizarre - I had actually figured Irvine as a huge stretch/reach (since I only mentioned 1 prof in SOP) and ended up getting in.

Congrats! Also, how does it feel knowing that you are a mythical beast on par with the Pegasus and Unicorn? Like seriously, how often does this kind of thing happen? Many congrats!

Not quite there yet, but I have enough waitlists thank you very much. If any school wants to take me straight out i'll consider you, but otherwise please kindly reject me rather than add me to yet another "very short list." Like seriously, now I'm basically going to be stuck waiting forever. The funniest thing is that Irvine keeps saying "if you get a competing offer please tell us" - but as it is, I have no *real* choices/offers. If I end up getting in off all the waitlists, that's when I'm gonna scream. (both from joy and fury)

I love PTSD dog.

All this pessimism, jeebus. I'm waitlisted at two places, and both schools have not only been pretty darned nice when it comes to being available, but they have also told me the funding offers that they would make were I to get in off the waitlist. Both are very generous, and one school is paying to fly me out to their prospective students weekend. Obviously my case isn't indicative of every school, but still, the apocalypticness from fishbucket is a bit overwrought. I mean, really, unless you've got some huge ego insecurity you should see a waitlist as a VERY good thing. While obviously it sucks that you're not actually in (and it's more than a bit excruciating to hope that someone ahead of you bumps out), the fact is that the school sees you as a potential grad student. The fact is, you made all the cuts except for the very last (likely arbitrary) cut. A school wouldn't extend a waitlist to an "inferior" candidate or a second class citizen - if you're on the list, they want you. <edit> Also, remember, part of the reason for waitlists is the musical-chairs nature of this process. Student A gets in at Harvard, Yale, Michigan, and Berkeley. They can only go to one of the schools. So all the schools need a waitlist since they need the grad students as labor, but don't know which students will take their offer, and which will decline cus they got in somewhere else.

To all the GU admits - MANY CONGRATS. It's a great place, and, as with some here, I did my M.A. there and it's an amazing department. Great students, great faculty, great campus.

Dear Fishbucket, It's ok, we'll be here when you're ready for us. Love, The Internet. P.S. Congrats!

Yeah - while I don't have any room to really negotiate funding yet (since it's two waitlists and one acceptance), on the off chance that I get in to a second program, suggestions would definitely be good, in case I have to approach this issue. Any veterans lurking about?

This is definitely on the table for me: for instance, UC Irvine's offer made me blink, but then I saw they have (surprisingly cheap) graduate housing. Now, I'm visiting to make sure that it's actually liveable (and that the numbers online are more or less real), but my assumption was initially a 1k/month rent in Southern California. However, if everything checks out, the budget suddenly really works well. Also, to this person: Totally agree with your assessment. There's no reason not to give every school that offers you a trip out a fair shake if you can manage it. Gives you a feel for the stuff that isn't as easily qualified on a school's website - like what it's like in the city/town, what the people are like (outside of their awesome work, etc), the kinds of people at the program - stuff that doesn't show up until you do.

My thoughts on the UF phone rejections (and my apologies to any who actually got them - here's hoping it's a fake). Oh also, grats to all the recent acceptances!

On a lighter note, a year ago I saw a CFP for the first ever "Jersey Shore" conference and the school hosting it was Chicago. Pulled it from the depths of the internet for proof: http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/41524 If this is a good or bad thing towards your opinion of the school, I leave to you. But well, lets just say that the people there are either really bleeding edge, have a great sense of humor, some of both, or all of neither.

I do feel a bit dickish posting in this thread (since I have been accepted, so it's like the "first world problems" of waitlist threads), but I've been dealing with the waitlist question all day so I hope no one minds. Even though I'm in at UCI, I think I'm going to stick around the waitlists that I'm on a little longer, mostly to visit and make sure UCI is definitely where I want to be. Besides, it's a waitlist, and better to make an informed decision before taking the possibility off the table, right?

Pacific Northwest might be drearier than England. 3/4ths of the year it's cloudy in Oregon, all year in Seattle, and it drizzles constantly. Hence why we love IPA's and Russian Imperial Stouts so much - how can you survive this weather but with really high ABV beer?

Ok screw this "derailing" thing, LETS GO. @Girlwhowearsglasses - where do you represent. Northwest coming in here to ask if we can adopt Northern California? Because I've had some kickass collaboration brews w/ 21st Amendment and Ninkasi

As a native Oregonian, I take issue with this. The Pacific Northwest is true Beervana, you guys in NC are pretenders to the throne!!!! Of course, Oregon only has U of O as a good school, and it means living in Eugene. So that's a tradeoff. Sorry to derail, congrats to all who have heard today!

Hey all. Lurker par excellence here. I've got a fun story about this: I applied to 10 schools last year, rejected from all of them. Parents were dubious but cautiously supportive of taking one more shot (I was willing to admit last year's SOP was kinda purposeless... not as targeted as it should have been). Rewind to last week. I had been waitlisted at Vanderbilt and rejected from Northwestern. It's Wednesday and I'm chilling around the house when I get a call from California. Turns out I got into UC Irvine's Ph.D. program. Tell my mom and she's floored - she didn't actually think I'd get in. She obviously wanted it, but didn't think I could do it (not necessarily because of skill, but competitiveness). I think they still are sort of like "really, he's really getting a phd in the humanities?," but considering that I pulled it off, they are gonna have to deal. Anyway, I'm still pretty fucking stoked. Irvine is in my top 3, so this is really amazing. Any other peeps from Irvine around here (I was not the one who filled out the survey - I actually stayed away from TGC all year somehow, but finally broke my vow since I'm in. They still haven't sent the funding information, and I was wondering if anyone else has heard or not.

It does seem weird only 2 are up. Let's hope we are looking at a staggered set of phonecalls... stay strong!

They're calling today and I'm freaking out. According to their site they take something like 12... I'm pretty sure I'm totally screwed at this point. My list might have been too top-heavy but still, this was one of my primo fit schools. Anyone else anxiously staring at their phone like me?