curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I have a question, especially for people learning languages for the regions you study. Is it really essential to speak the language? I mean, when I need to convince myself that I don't need to learn a new language, I just think how I can learn about that country via articles and the English internet sources. And about doing field research, do you plan to go to that country and administer the surveys by yourself, one by one? Is it how it works? Is it expensive to hire someone local to do it? Or is it expensive to subsidize it to survey firms? Because I know they are hot these days I'd love to learn more about how these things work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunuwyn Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I have a question, especially for people learning languages for the regions you study. Is it really essential to speak the language? I mean, when I need to convince myself that I don't need to learn a new language, I just think how I can learn about that country via articles and the English internet sources. And about doing field research, do you plan to go to that country and administer the surveys by yourself, one by one? Is it how it works? Is it expensive to hire someone local to do it? Or is it expensive to subsidize it to survey firms? Because I know they are hot these days I'd love to learn more about how these things work. You could always just do quant methods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I am actually also hoping to hike a chunk of the AT (actually, right around where you will be polecon...maybe we'll run into each other!!!) at the beginning of the summer, and then I am planning to do a summer intensive language program to improve my weakest regional language. For somebody who asked whether you have to know the language, I mean, I guess it depends on how you do your research. However, I have to say, reading media written about a place in English or even translated media is often vastly different from reading it in the original. Besides the fact that unless it's a really common language the translation is often bad (in my experience occassionally so bad as to impede understanding), you lose the local perspective, and what is considered important for the English speaking media isn't always what people in the country find to be important, so if you are talking about shifting public sentiment or grass roots support issues, or how a political phenomenon is viewed in the country I think knowing the language is immensely helpful if not essential. I mean, I speak completely from my own experiences and from what my profs in undergrad did (they had all studied the language of the places they studied), but I have found it totally changes my experience when I can speak to people and read media and such without translation. Also, in my particular region, all the people I have met at conferences have known the language. So, it may also vary by regional area, and it certainly will vary based on what particular issues you are studying and how you are studying them. Oooh, reading lists are nice...that's a great idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 I have a question, especially for people learning languages for the regions you study. Is it really essential to speak the language? I mean, when I need to convince myself that I don't need to learn a new language, I just think how I can learn about that country via articles and the English internet sources. And about doing field research, do you plan to go to that country and administer the surveys by yourself, one by one? Is it how it works? Is it expensive to hire someone local to do it? Or is it expensive to subsidize it to survey firms? Because I know they are hot these days I'd love to learn more about how these things work. To elaborate on this further, it all depends on your plans. There are many CP profs out there today that do not speak another language and focus solely on cross-national quantitative approaches. In my case I leaned the language long before I planned to get the PhD, but I do not plan to use it in the foreseeable future. Having said that, if I get a chance to do fieldwork then I would be all over it simply because I love to travel and I love the region. I would still need to find a way t incorporate that into my research agenda, and I really an unsure how that would happen. If I ever get the chance to do surveys (as ME countries open up) I would want it to be on a large scale (like the ArabBarometer), and have collaborators at local universities in the region. Other details would have to be worked out later, but I am talking something much bigger than walking around saying "hey can you fill this out?" That is so grandiose and far fetched that I am not sure it could ever happen, but it is my ultimate goal for the language and research down the road. In the ME, many things need to happen before I would be interested, so we will have to see. It is useful to know the language in order to avoid reading translated primary source material. In the end, it simply depends on your plans. If you want to be an expert on Burma, then I would suggest learning Burmese. If you want to study political behavior or institutions cross-nationally, then crank up the AC in the office and have at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Realist Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 You could always just do quant methods. In comparative politics, there is no longer any presumption that you do field work or quantitative methods. The best PhDs--and by this I mean the ones that search committees consider to be real comparative politics scholars--do both. Cruise around the websites of the top comparative politics programs (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, etc.). The young hires all speak languages, do field work, and do sophisticated quantitative research. The graduate students at these programs are doing the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Realist Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I have a question, especially for people learning languages for the regions you study. Is it really essential to speak the language? I mean, when I need to convince myself that I don't need to learn a new language, I just think how I can learn about that country via articles and the English internet sources. And about doing field research, do you plan to go to that country and administer the surveys by yourself, one by one? Is it how it works? Is it expensive to hire someone local to do it? Or is it expensive to subsidize it to survey firms? Because I know they are hot these days I'd love to learn more about how these things work. Speaking as a comparativist who has done survey research in-country, let me offer some responses. 1. Do you have to speak the language? If you want to be considered a credible expert in a country by other comparativists, then yes, you must. If you want to call yourself an Indonesianist you better speak Indonesian. If you want to call yourself an Egyptianist you better speak Arabic. Same for Russia, China, Japan, Nigeria, etc. Do you really think you could be an expert in American politics if you only read sources in French? 2. Surveys can be contracted out. And yes it is expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) In comparative politics, there is no longer any presumption that you do field work or quantitative methods. The best PhDs--and by this I mean the ones that search committees consider to be real comparative politics scholars--do both. Cruise around the websites of the top comparative politics programs (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, etc.). The young hires all speak languages, do field work, and do sophisticated quantitative research. The graduate students at these programs are doing the same. My ultimate goal is to do both, and I am prepared more than adequately on the language and abroad experience, contacts in the region, area studies background etc. The problem is that I am unsure of how I can connect my interests and put together a project that combines both approaches in an interesting way. As for the surveys, I realize that they are expensive and that is part of the reason that if I did it, it would be way down the road and with some major grant. That is why I am not counting on it to happen. I will say that I do not want to be pegged as an Egyptianist or Omanist, but rather a ME scholar if even that. I have enough experience with ME studies that I would love to have a position that requires teaching that area, but I would hate to get boxed in that research area. Edited February 11, 2010 by Bobb-Cobb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't mean to be mean, but being a specific country expert is like being a journalist in my eyes, not very academic So, you are saying that, to be a proper democratization professor, I need to learn Farsi, several dialects of Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese etc? I better start today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catchermiscount Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 See this is going downhill again, what with the intellectualism and the worry and the comp-studying. If you're not hung over this morning, you just aren't getting it. Note that at certain levels of drunkenness one speaks in tongues, which (apparently) would help all you would-be comparativists. Based on who I've met in the business, it also makes for excellent close reading in the Straussian tradition. SuddenlyParanoid and Shere Khan 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't mean to be mean, but being a specific country expert is like being a journalist in my eyes, not very academic So, you are saying that, to be a proper democratization professor, I need to learn Farsi, several dialects of Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese etc? I better start today That's what I was trying to say, but in a nicer way. The Realist may be right, but I have no interest in being a single country expert. I know there are successful folks who study democratization for example and speak no other languages. Success is a relative term around here these days, so I am not sure if everyone would agree. There are things that I would like to do in the ME and Africa, but it will not be at the expense of doing cross-national studies of larger issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 But come on. What we do with political science is that we look for paradigms that can encompass as many peoples of the world as possible. If one chooses to focus on the dynamics of one country, or one region... that is also fine. But, for example personally, I intend to get out of my Middle East studies I have been doing so far and look into Latin America and compare it with the Middle Eastern structures of governance. This process would require me to learn all those languages I listed. And let's be gentle, that is a bit tough to achieve I am not underestimating the value knowing a language can add. I am merely stating that this is extremely and painfully tough to do so, to learn all those languages. And maybe my brain is looking for justifications that it is ok if I do not learn all those languages Want to give me some justifications for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 But come on. What we do with political science is that we look for paradigms that can encompass as many peoples of the world as possible. If one chooses to focus on the dynamics of one country, or one region... that is also fine. But, for example personally, I intend to get out of my Middle East studies I have been doing so far and look into Latin America and compare it with the Middle Eastern structures of governance. This process would require me to learn all those languages I listed. And let's be gentle, that is a bit tough to achieve I am not underestimating the value knowing a language can add. I am merely stating that this is extremely and painfully tough to do so, to learn all those languages. And maybe my brain is looking for justifications that it is ok if I do not learn all those languages Want to give me some justifications for that? I am not trying to justify learning that many languages, and I think we are in agreement about most of these points. I too have done comparisons of the ME with other regions. That is precisely why I do not want to be tied down to doing only ME studies. I think the expert on one country business (in political science) is on its way out, but maybe not. I personally think that could get a bit boring over the course of a career, not to mention the point you raised regarding paradigms, peoples, and the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brouhaha Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't want to be stuck in an office my whole life doing research on countries thousands of miles away affected by issues that barely touch me. I want to use Chinese and Japanese, and for that I mean more than just reading documents. That's why I'm planning on more of the think tank route right now so I can at least perhaps spend time in China or Japan or Taiwan. Who knows though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I did not mean to disparage you per se. All I said was "I am a Russia expert" is not what academia should be, according to my personal experiences. Do not simplify what I said. "I am a Russia expert" is one thing, "I study the effects of oil abundance on the development of political institutions" is another. And PLEASE do not include the "This guy I know does this, and I want to do that. Are you calling me this?!" to your messages It is really uncalled for qazwerty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 I don't want to be stuck in an office my whole life doing research on countries thousands of miles away affected by issues that barely touch me. I want to use Chinese and Japanese, and for that I mean more than just reading documents. That's why I'm planning on more of the think tank route right now so I can at least perhaps spend time in China or Japan or Taiwan. Who knows though. I certainly do not either, and I do not plan to be. I just do not want to be labeled as someone that studies this country or that country. I was saying earlier that sitting in the office is a viable option for those who do not want to travel and learn languages yet still want to be comparativists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Ok, fair enough, but what personal experiences have brought you to this conclusion? Moreover, isn't academia supposed to be a place where people conduct research to explain phenomena occurring in the world? Whether that research is conducted with relation to one country or multiple countries doesn't, in my opinion, seem to render one academic and the other not. Both projects add to the collective knowledge of humanity. My personal experience would be the fact that all my professors were like "The Realist" I do not mean to disparage anyone that studies one country. But my point is, if you study one country, or one region that speaks the same language, to learn that language is easy and can (and should) be done. But if you don't want to focus on one country or region, like me, to learn all the languages of the countries your studies will need would be painful tedious and hard to achieve. That is my claim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interista Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 This thread has ceased to be a distraction! Let's get it back on topic. I pounded 10 miles on the treadmill in 54 minutes yesterday after hearing of my likely rejection from Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 This thread has ceased to be a distraction! Let's get it back on topic. I pounded 10 miles on the treadmill in 54 minutes yesterday after hearing of my likely rejection from Chicago. I find treadmill SOOO boring! I know I'm supposed to do some cardio, my fat ratio is over 10 % again, but I even tried reading articles on the treadmill like my professor does, but all that up and down motion makes me lose focus even music cant make it fun for me. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interista Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I find treadmill SOOO boring! I know I'm supposed to do some cardio, my fat ratio is over 10 % again, but I even tried reading articles on the treadmill like my professor does, but all that up and down motion makes me lose focus even music cant make it fun for me. Any suggestions? Get an iPod or CD player to distract you, and play around with the pace and/or elevation to mix things up. I'm a pretty serious runner, and most other runners think I'm crazy for running on the treadmill. But we had 2 feet of snow yesterday so I didn't have much of an option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curufinwe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Get an iPod or CD player to distract you, and play around with the pace and/or elevation to mix things up. I'm a pretty serious runner, and most other runners think I'm crazy for running on the treadmill. But we had 2 feet of snow yesterday so I didn't have much of an option! Ah, weights are more fun for me Though I do run often during school, since I am always late for classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anxiousapplicant Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I find treadmill SOOO boring! I know I'm supposed to do some cardio, my fat ratio is over 10 % again, but I even tried reading articles on the treadmill like my professor does, but all that up and down motion makes me lose focus even music cant make it fun for me. Any suggestions? I might be laughed at for this, but I use a rebounder trampoline to jog. I can't do normal running because it kills my knees, but I can run hard for an hour on the rebounder. It is quite effective as I lost a pant size in about three weeks after starting. You might find it a fun way to break up your routine. Plus, it really kills the stress from waiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobb Cobb Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 I might be laughed at for this, but I use a rebounder trampoline to jog. I can't do normal running because it kills my knees, but I can run hard for an hour on the rebounder. It is quite effective as I lost a pant size in about three weeks after starting. You might find it a fun way to break up your routine. Plus, it really kills the stress from waiting! I choose not to exercise, and it has worked well so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poli90 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 curufinwe: Are Americanists "only journalists"? I really find the attempt by advocates of a single, narrow approach to studying politics to make their approach hegemonic and disparage any other approaches really nasty. It is not a matter of regional studies vs big-N quant studies, but rather focusing on high quality scholarship whatever its form and looking at how diverse approaches can complement each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qazwerty Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) curufinwe: Are Americanists "only journalists"? NO! Because America is the greatest country that has ever existed! Just kidding In all seriousness, though, why are you guys hating on the journalists! Edited February 11, 2010 by qazwerty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poli90 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Cpaige- I was invited to the March 12th admit day, so I am guessing it was for all accepted and waitlisted applicants (which also tells me the waitlist isn't very long). I'm still not sure if I can go due to work commitments... Â It's also nice seeing some colleges post their upcoming courses publicly:Â https://polisci.wustl.edu/sites/courses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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