There's COVID-19 research, and then there's meta COVID-19 research--that is, research about research in the era of COVID-19. Scientists, specifically principal investigators, were surveyed about time spent on various job activities. No one will be surprised to learn that productivity has been lost, particularly in disciplines dependent on shared equipment and/or student labor. Likewise, it is not shocking to discover that parents who have to care for small children are disproportionately affected. It's good to confirm … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Researching the Researchers
tenure
The Future of ESN
This is my final post on the Emerging Scholars Blog. Well, my final planned post, anyway. Tom insisted that I leave the door open for guest posts in the future, but I won't be writing here every Tuesday as I have for the past few years. For my final post, Tom asked me to offer some thoughts about how far ESN has come and where it might be going in the future. I became involved with the Emerging Scholars Network because I wished it had existed when I was an undergraduate. I've told this story many times, but I … [Read more...] about The Future of ESN
Is a Tenure-Track Job a Futile Dream?
Probably. Last week, I addressed the question of whether graduate school was a path to certain doom. In the comments of that post, John questioned my use of statistics to show that people with Ph.D.s had relatively good job prospects in this economy. He shared a personal experience with trying to find a tenure-track faculty position in the humanities. Now that is a completely different matter than simply getting a job, and the outlook isn't nearly as bright. James K.A. Smith has written a series of posts offering … [Read more...] about Is a Tenure-Track Job a Futile Dream?
Is Graduate School a Path to Certain Doom?
Every few years, another publication discovers that becoming a tenured professor at a research university is hard work. Most recently, it was Slate, which ran an essay by Rebecca Shuman which, fittingly for an essay about literary study, had two different titles depending on whether you looked at the text on the page or the title in your browser: Thesis Hatement: Getting a literature Ph.D. will turn you into an emotional trainwreck, not a professor. There are no academic jobs and getting a Ph.D. will make you into … [Read more...] about Is Graduate School a Path to Certain Doom?
What I Wish I’d Known about Faculty Life: Any Regrets?
This is the final post in Kevin Birth's series, What I Wish I'd Known about Faculty Life. Previously: Departmental Politics, Teaching the Curriculum, The Tenure Track. It was one of those gloomy days when even a cup of coffee had no warming effect. Edward and Gretchen were chatting in one of the college's cafés. Fitting the melancholy tone of the day, Gretchen was morose about Edward's impending retirement and move to a warmer climate. He had been a mentor to her – guiding her through the various minefields of … [Read more...] about What I Wish I’d Known about Faculty Life: Any Regrets?