This story was shared by a reader recently. They have given me permission to share it here anonymously. Rarely have I seen the sickness of the PhD apparatus so clearly articulated. "Toxic hope" is another way of saying Berlant's "cruel optimism" … [Read more...] about Toxic Hope
Advising Advice
Bullying in Academia: A Disheartening Q and A
KK: This is a dialogue that happened on Facebook this week. If you ever wanted a window onto academic bullying... this is it. The responses are shared with permission. Where names are listed, commenters actively REQUESTED this for transparency's … [Read more...] about Bullying in Academia: A Disheartening Q and A
What Does (Or Should) It Mean to be an “Academic”? ~ Guest Post
by Dr. Chris Winstead Chris Winstead is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Utah State University. He has been on the USU faculty for seventeen years. He was born in North Carolina (USA) in the late mid-20th century, … [Read more...] about What Does (Or Should) It Mean to be an “Academic”? ~ Guest Post
Why Is It Always the Historians?
"Why is it always the historians?" I muttered to myself after another little dustup on Twitter, another historian posting some jaunty, gaslighting, evasive, disaster-normalizing, "fellow-historians, give me your best advice for advisees applying to … [Read more...] about Why Is It Always the Historians?
A Black Woman’s Journey from Despair to Joy (Part II) – #BLM Guest Post
By Elana Jefferson-Tatum, Ph.D. See Part I here. Elana Jefferson-Tatum, Ph.D. is a scholar of Africana religions, a hypnobirthing coach, and a full-spectrum doula. After several years in the academy as a post-doctoral fellow at Hobart and William … [Read more...] about A Black Woman’s Journey from Despair to Joy (Part II) – #BLM Guest Post
Academic Job Market Stats in Theater – Guest Post
CW: Academic Job Market By Prof. Noe Montez, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, Tufts University This is a really long post about the academic job market and part of what we’ll be looking at … [Read more...] about Academic Job Market Stats in Theater – Guest Post
Academia Is a Cult: Story of a TEDx Talk
About six months ago I was invited to do a TEDx talk, which I called Academia Is a Cult, by Prof. Adam Key of University of Arkansas at Monticello. I don't watch TED talks, and mostly dislike the whole idea of them. So I ignored the invitation for a … [Read more...] about Academia Is a Cult: Story of a TEDx Talk
Emotions in Academia: Sadness
Emotions in Academia 4: Sadness Re-blogging (with permission) part of Prof. Andrew Timming’s series on “Emotions in Academia” from his blog, Dire Ed. I'm incredibly grateful to Dr. Timming for openly discussing issues of emotions and mental health … [Read more...] about Emotions in Academia: Sadness
Emotions in Academia: Anger
https://dire-ed.com/2021/02/03/emotions-in-academia-part-3-anger/ Re-blogging (with permission) part of Prof. Andrew Timming's series on "Emotions in Academia" from his blog, Dire Ed. Dr. Andrew Timming is Professor of Human Resource Management … [Read more...] about Emotions in Academia: Anger
Teachers Are Not Inexhaustible Resources, Part I – Guest Post
By Monique DuFour Dr. Monique Dufour is Collegiate Assistant Professor of History and Director of Graduate Student Professional Development in CLAHS at Virginia Tech. She also offers consultations and workshops for graduate students and faculty as … [Read more...] about Teachers Are Not Inexhaustible Resources, Part I – Guest Post