tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post677721482200174244..comments2024-03-09T03:20:20.004-05:00Comments on Tenured Radical: The Seductions Of Sedan Delivery; Or, Writing Your Own Academic Job DescriptionTenured Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05703980598547163290noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-70593612736603571712011-04-14T09:32:47.039-05:002011-04-14T09:32:47.039-05:00Wish I had had someone tell me all of this when I ...Wish I had had someone tell me all of this when I was starting out. I mistakenly believed that I was showing institutional solidarity and loyalty when I did all that extra work. Too late for me, but thanks for helping all those people just starting out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-16344918735346231962011-02-23T18:02:32.464-05:002011-02-23T18:02:32.464-05:00Thanks very much for your insights! I particularly...Thanks very much for your insights! I particularly appreciate the advice for people in two departments. (It seems I am constantly trying to prove to people in both of my departments that I am not a slacker!)Recently Tenurednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-86819315094199546062010-11-17T04:06:16.287-05:002010-11-17T04:06:16.287-05:00Hi
Tks very much for post:
I like it and hope t...Hi<br /><br />Tks very much for post: <br /><br />I like it and hope that you continue posting.<br /><br />Let me show other source that may be good for community.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://deliveryjobdescriptions.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Delivery job descriptions</a><br /><br />Best rgs<br />DavidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-48815819058304817962010-09-25T00:54:59.701-05:002010-09-25T00:54:59.701-05:00Despite the bulk of information online we often fa...Despite the bulk of information online we often fail to get the specific information which is needed this post is good & contains relevant information that I was in quest of .I appreciate your efforts in preparing this post.online-dissertation-helphttp://www.online-dissertation-help.com/dissertation-doctoral.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-27855202763305839572010-08-10T08:22:07.457-05:002010-08-10T08:22:07.457-05:00Excellent post! I have been sending it to junor f...Excellent post! I have been sending it to junor faculty, adjuncts, and faculty who work too much. Plus, I love your humor, TR. Yeah, baby. <br /><br />One serious query -- how does one write service into the job description? By service, I mean serving on departmental and college committees. You know, those fascinating College-level committees with titles like the "2015 Strategic Planning Committee" or the "Liberal Education Designator Committee." These are not only dull beyond belief -- and a complete waste of time -- but at my institution, raises are based on "scholarly productivity." Working on these committees yields nothing -- and yet, we are still assigned to work on them.<br /><br />My strategy has been to schedule my office hours for meeting with my students at the same time that these meetings are held. I am curious how others handle this.Jennifernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-3496315360491918182010-08-08T12:20:31.756-05:002010-08-08T12:20:31.756-05:00Well, as someone whose anthropological fieldwork i...Well, as someone whose anthropological fieldwork involved basketweaving, I am highly offended.<br /><br />Seriously, though: I want to make it clear that my situation is not in any way the fault of overstressed and overworked faculty above me in the hierarchy, because I understand why they don't want to serve on all the committees they're asked to do or mentoring fifty thousand students.<br /><br />BUT. Refusal to volunteer or do this kind of unpaid work results in the next level down being asked to do it. As an adjunct, I now spend about 5-10 unpaid hours a week on student mentoring and committee work rejected by assistant and associate profs. I also have to do my own curriculum design and propose and teach new courses. There's a possibility that soon I will have mandatory training in everything from travel and purchasing to departmental advising.<br /><br />Anyone who says "no" doesn't get hired back the next semester, meaning I lose my chance at making a maximum of $6K per semester, and... and... wait, what's the punishment again?<br /><br />Again, I don't blame the uphill profs for saying no to an unfair workload. Shit rolls downhill, is all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-26365037560312012722010-08-07T15:56:09.134-05:002010-08-07T15:56:09.134-05:00Do you think you could rethink whether you should ...<i>Do you think you could rethink whether you should actually be insulted by me, since at no point have I meant to insult you, and we could leave it at that?<br /></i><br />Sheesh. That's no way to conduct a fucken blogwar. TR, you gotta bone up on your Sun Tzu.Comrade PhysioProfhttp://physioprof.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-68582570988378648582010-08-07T13:03:54.285-05:002010-08-07T13:03:54.285-05:00earlier periods are not relevant to an undergradua...<i>earlier periods are not relevant to an undergraduate curriculum</i><br /><br />No, I didn't think you were asserting that they were irrelevant, just that your choice of a premodern field in the example revealed (whether subconsciously or not) a (widespread?) feeling that many premodern areas of study are disproportionately supported by conservative administrations, often at the cost of newer or more interdisciplinary areas of research. All I was saying is that the example you used suggested that there are areas of study out there that are not only arcane but pointless; in my experience I've rarely found that to be the case (though perhaps I'm arcane?).<br /><br />My prickliness on that point springs from a feeling that public politeness about the great liberal party that is the humanities masks an underlying war for resources (what is already a small pie compared to the sciences and social sciences). I've already seen colleagues both in other depts and in the administration undervalue the work of departments just because it doesn't attract a lot of students or doesn't have an obvious presentist appeal. Have you not come across this? And if not, good for Zenith. <br /><br />Look, I'm a literary critic - it's my job to read too much into things. But can you really blame me when the example was about someone in a newer field having a gripe about the bizarrely over-supported person in an older field? I didn't think you had a particular field in mind; I was just concerned that you might be subscribing (consciously or not) to what I see as an overly reductionist view of what people do in the more obscure (though NOT arcane) parts of academia.<br /><br />Finally, no, I'm not especially insulted, but I hope you see that it's not necessarily academic paranoia to be worried about the state of ALL the humanities (including the areas that start earlier than 1600).Needlelovernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-91681496319416369342010-08-07T12:30:09.195-05:002010-08-07T12:30:09.195-05:00Needlelover: to repeat, the point is real; the at...Needlelover: to repeat, the point is real; the attempt to insult other fields was something I tried to evade, and clearly not very successfully. Your original point, as I recall, was that I was asserting that the disciplines and subjects associated with the earlier periods are not relevant to an undergraduate curriculum.<br /><br />I don't know whether you are paranoid or not -- again, that wasn't what I intended, although placed with in the context of the piece (which you say you like) your tenderness on this very small point does strike me as a little much. But my point about paranoia was not aimed at you: rather, blogging does excite other people's paranoia, particularly the paranoia of those close to one. In my early blogging days, I was sometime indiscreet in ways that made people angry, and had to learn not to do that. But I also used to make up stories, and colleagues often believed I was writing about *them* when I was not. Ergo, since I am often in actual competition for resources with my colleagues, an attempt not to excite paranoia.<br /><br />Do you think you could rethink whether you should actually be insulted by me, since at no point have I meant to insult you, and we could leave it at that? I'm glad you liked the piece.Tenured Radicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05703980598547163290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-85206048744690401792010-08-07T12:04:26.695-05:002010-08-07T12:04:26.695-05:00I thought that the field I had "named" w...<i>I thought that the field I had "named" was so completely divorced from anything real in academia that it could not be mistaken for an insult to anyone.</i><br /><br />[Let me reiterate that I liked 99% of the original post]<br /><br />So it wasn't a real point? And the person in Native studies in the example shouldn't be frustrated by this completely unreal field in this completely unreal dept. which has the completely unreal disproportionate support of the completely unreal administration, etc. etc. No, I think your point was precisely that the person in Native Studies has a legitimate right to be frustrated about some real imbalances in the way a university is run. And so the unreal Basket Weaving dept. or whatever is necessarily just a placeholder for something real - whether you want to put a name to it or not is a different matter, but I think it would be naive to think that other people wouldn't be tempted to put a name to it: medieval studies, German, or any other dept. or program that is sometimes perceived to have disproportionate administrative support simply because they've been around for a while. Should we have a conversation about that? Sure. But passing off real competition between depts and programs as unreal non-allegory isn't persuasive to me, at least. <br /><br />By the way, telling me that you don't like it when people marginalise your field and then suggesting that I'm suffering from academic paranoia is, well, a little disingenuous. A shame, because I like your blog.Needlelovernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-22471512799464392942010-08-07T10:28:35.540-05:002010-08-07T10:28:35.540-05:00This is a fantastic post! Write your own job descr...This is a fantastic post! Write your own job description is a GREAT practical way to address some of the problems we tried to identify in our essay. I love your line (I'm paraphrasing): "remember that their 'normal' is guaranteed by your overwork." I'll be keeping THAT in mind the next time I'm tempted to overload.Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-73133594641170227522010-08-07T09:46:28.554-05:002010-08-07T09:46:28.554-05:00Needlelover: If you really want to know, I consid...Needlelover: If you really want to know, I consider it unprofessional to tell people that their scholarship is irrelevant and marginal, so I don't do it: when people do it to me (as an American studies/gender'ethnic/queer studies person) it makes me think they are insecure and ignorant. I particularly hate it when outsiders to *my* field tell me with great confidence what *they* are sure it is about.<br /><br />I thought that the field I had "named" was so completely divorced from anything real in academia that it could not be mistaken for an insult to anyone.<br />Never underestimate the paranoia of academics, I guess. But no, there was no dig at any one or any field of knowledge intended.<br /><br />As an aside: perhaps the pre-modern is not so central to American Studies, but that doesn't mean the field is obsessed with modernity: the Early modern has been a preoccupation since Perry Anderson, and has become critical to rethinking the field.Tenured Radicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05703980598547163290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-83000405353519260172010-08-06T22:37:39.186-05:002010-08-06T22:37:39.186-05:00I don't disagree about the relevance of gender...I don't disagree about the relevance of gender studies to premodern fields, though that's not really how you presented it in your post (coupled with American studies, which isn't hugely relevant to premodern fields). And let's not pretend that the focus of departments and programs in gender and cultural studies is the premodern world, even if the scholarship may be used far and wide. Let me ask the question more bluntly: at whom was the Wooden Needles dig directed and why?Needlelovernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-43625750902638610782010-08-06T13:24:22.855-05:002010-08-06T13:24:22.855-05:00TR, you gotta *make* time for BLOGWAR. Where's...TR, you gotta *make* time for BLOGWAR. Where's your fucken priorities?Comrade PhysioProfhttp://physioprof.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-60075709242087376342010-08-06T06:53:02.865-05:002010-08-06T06:53:02.865-05:00Ummm...Anonymous: American/Ethnic/Gender studies a...Ummm...Anonymous: American/Ethnic/Gender studies are not presentist fields, and some of their greatest achievements are in pre-modern fields, particularly (speaking for history) classics, the Renaissance, and colonial encounters.<br /><br />CPP, I wish I had time for a blogwar, but I gots to hit the fucking archives. !!!!111!!!!ELEVENTY!!!Tenured Radicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05703980598547163290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-8655311726939765442010-08-05T19:31:42.233-05:002010-08-05T19:31:42.233-05:00I'm sympathetic to 99% of what you say here bu...<i>I'm sympathetic to 99% of what you say here but the cheap shot at 'Renaissance Wooden Needles' worries me. Because we all know what is really meant by that, especially when contrasted with American/Gender/Ethnic studies: pre-modern, or at least non-presentist, fields.<br /></i><br />DOWN WITH PRESENTISM!!111!!! BVLOGWAR@@!!222@!!11!!!Comrade PhysioProfhttp://physioprof.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-37592707631341877992010-08-05T19:24:28.302-05:002010-08-05T19:24:28.302-05:00I'm sympathetic to 99% of what you say here bu...I'm sympathetic to 99% of what you say here but the cheap shot at 'Renaissance Wooden Needles' worries me. Because we all know what is really meant by that, especially when contrasted with American/Gender/Ethnic studies: pre-modern, or at least non-presentist, fields. Blaming the administration for funding those programs is barely code for 'those programs should be reduced'. Fair enough, but it takes time and sacrifices to study wooden needles too, and they are in fact real people with real stakes (big needles, if you will), not just caricature toy-pieces to be redistributed at no cost.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-48136894517517367262010-08-05T17:20:02.001-05:002010-08-05T17:20:02.001-05:00Thanks for the info Matt L! If I were a historian,...Thanks for the info Matt L! If I were a historian, I suspect I would gravitate to that kind of structure.<br /><br />My personality is very much an "orchestrator" type. (ENTJ, Field Marshall, for those who buy into that dealio.) Sitting in a room all by myself reading and writing and thinking all day, every day is about as appealing a form of scholarly activity to me as hammering nails through my dick.Comrade PhysioProfhttp://physioprof.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-50139324200720540392010-08-05T12:52:31.399-05:002010-08-05T12:52:31.399-05:00Thanks for the post TR!
I just finished teaching...Thanks for the post TR! <br /><br />I just finished teaching the last meeting of my summer session class (its all over except the grading). So I am going to sit down and write my new job description this afternoon.Matt Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-45028560734709079922010-08-05T12:48:43.016-05:002010-08-05T12:48:43.016-05:00CPP: there are a few 'big science' type op...CPP: there are a few 'big science' type operations in history where you have a 'notable figure' in charge of a legion of post docs, co-investigators, and lab assistants. The one I know best is IPUMs over at the University of Minnesota. Its all about census data and demographic history. <br /><br />But as Historiann points out, this kind of hierarchical lab-style organization is the exception. If a prof does have a research assistant, their tasks are pretty mundane. I worked as an RA and my main job was to update/manage a couple databases. For another RA position I worked as a conference organizer.Matt Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-33667688711139598792010-08-04T11:44:16.790-05:002010-08-04T11:44:16.790-05:00Thanks for this, especially for the note on being ...Thanks for this, especially for the note on being willing to be silent when the chair/dean/etc. asks for a volunteer. I did this at a committee meeting at the end of the semester - absolutely had to steel myself not to agree to take on a big responsibility - and was happy I did.<br /><br />The Romper Room Do-Bee was one of my earliest influences! The theme song was initially, "I always do what's right/I never do anything wrong/I'm a Romper Room Do-Bee/a Do-Bee all day long." In the late 60s or early 70s it was changed to "I try to do what's right/I try not to do anything wrong." (This caused a problem for the scansion, which I noted even at a young age.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-36019954943487250762010-08-04T08:27:43.158-05:002010-08-04T08:27:43.158-05:00CPP--a few big-time grad advisors farm out pieces ...CPP--a few big-time grad advisors farm out pieces of their work to their grad students. But because history books and articles are for the most part single-authored (or at most co-authored with one other person), what we do really happens inside our own tiny little minds, and isn't really farmable or delegateable. <br /><br />There are some big-time famous historians whose wives essentially served as co-researchers and co-authors on their husbands' work, but I think extensive collaboration with more than one other person is extremely difficult in the humanities.Historiannhttp://historiann.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-40271218815986319152010-08-03T21:03:51.063-05:002010-08-03T21:03:51.063-05:00Very interesting window into the world of undergra...Very interesting window into the world of undergraduate teaching/advising/etc. I just have one comment on this:<br /><br /><i>In consultation with a senior colleague, figure out what are the minimum number of bodies you are expected to manage, and what the department average is for each category and at each rank of the faculty. In the category of "body management," I am counting major advisees, non-major advisees, enrolled students, honors students, and any other person you need to manage (postdocs, graduate students, other faculty.)<br /></i><br /><br />This seems to imply that "body management" is implemented with an entirely flat hierarchy: the faculty member in question directly managing all these other people. At least in the natural sciences, this is not the only possible management structure.<br /><br />More senior post-docs and grad students do a lot of the work of guiding and mentoring more junior people in the lab. And learning how to do this effectively is part of their own training.<br /><br />This kind of hierarchical structure allows one to manage a substantially bigger operation than could be handled with a strictly flat structure. I have never really heard of this kind of thing, but is there precedent in the humanities for faculty to run operations like this? Like some huge-ass historian has a dozen or so students and post-docs off in the archives transcribing a bunch of shit under the umbrella of the huge-ass historian's scholarly program?Comrade PhysioProfhttp://physioprof.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-45468333908260708412010-08-03T17:09:02.915-05:002010-08-03T17:09:02.915-05:00Janice--good point about the wastage of goodwill (...Janice--good point about the wastage of goodwill (or, in TR's terms, being a <i>girl</i> do-bee, whatever your chromosomal makeup.) In fact, doing more with fewer faculty cheerfully will only suggest to administrators that it doesn't in fact matter if they ever reconvert Anonymous's position to tenure-track. <br /><br />I too cheer on TR's advice about not trying to solve institutional neglect by investing instead your time and your bodily and/or mental health. If the state of Colorado says that it's perfectly fine for intro classes in my department to have 100-120 students, I'm not going to teach the course the same way as if I had only 30 students. It's too bad and it certainly isn't as good a course as it could be if I didn't have to spread myself so thin--but that decision was made years before I arrived, and way above my pay grade. Not writing your book in order to pretend that you teach at a SLAC isn't smart.Historiannhttp://historiann.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-27252537576774366402010-08-03T16:46:33.724-05:002010-08-03T16:46:33.724-05:00Even though I've been doing this job for a whi...Even though I've been doing this job for a while, it's hard to define my boundaries. It's also frustrating when the student you're saying "No" to is a worthwhile use of your time compared to another who's already enrolled and not doing any of the coursework!<br /><br />But, yes, new faculty and term appointed faculty, in particular, need to understand that all the good will and "volunteerism" in the world isn't going to change the administration's attitude toward full-time hiring.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14093558563358431804noreply@blogger.com