Monday, December 17, 2012

yourself an academic

…it's been a while since we rolled out Omnivore's succulent & succinctly annotated links for a virtual visit to the Reading Room, which I've noticed that it is not the most popular NewFac chez Facebook item, hence dropping the tag from the title. I don't doubt that those who do click through will be pleasantly surprised, even delighted. 



new issue of Academe is out, including Thomas P. Miller on the academy as a public works project; and Marc Bousquet on how we are all Roman porn stars now: Are we fighting the good fight through our service or just creating a spectacle of super-exploitation? The university as welfare state: Paula Marantz Cohen on why you should want kooks teaching your kids. 
Beyond Orientalism? Rommel A. Curaming on another look at Orientalism in Indonesian and Philippine Studies. Do you need a university job to call yourself an academic? Wanda Wyporska describes research after academia. Caroline Walker Bynum on gender, generations, and faculty conflict: Will academe's mothers and daughters repeat the errors of its fathers and sons? Rodolfo Acuña on the vindication of Mexican-American Studies
Gram Slattery on the war on the humanities: If you plan to major in philosophy, the American government will stop at nothing to prevent you. Open access: Alexander Brown on why academic publishers still add value. Beyond JSTOR: Todd Cronan on nonsite.org as digital publisher. From Dummies.com, a look at how Wikipedia helps you to study college subjects; and Laura Larimer and Abshier House on ten things you should do the night before a test.
yourself an academic at Book Forum's linkalicious blog, Omnivore

3 comments:

  1. I just went over and signed up to get their free newsletter. I did not realize I could do this. In any case, though not speaking directly about us, Paula Marantz Cohen did skirt the issue of contingency in her article, as I think many are doing now, and as I believe 2013 will become: a big year for the adjunct. She talks about the adjunct and says they are not even within the system established now. Then she goes on to quote the big quandary: "The problem lies not with us faculty, who tend to be modestly paid, but with what the commercial culture has made college become—a place that has to compete with other institutions in order to boast more buildings designed by big-name architects, more high-class eateries with exotic menus, and more state-of-the-art gymnasiums with climbing walls." I am sure the rest of the articles have lots of goodies to digest and discuss at length; thanks for steering us there ;-)

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  2. Cohen didn't "skirt the adjunct issue." She mentioned it sympathetically as an aside, but her article was not about "the adjunct issue."

    Not every higher ed related article is or should be about adjunct issues. Personally, I think "adjunct" reading lists need to be diverse, covering a range of perspectives and opinions. That's one of the reasons I am always glad to see a higher ed/ academia Omnivore. Another is having a ready made post.

    Besides, if we are going to make common cause with other faculty and seek alliances and supporters among them, it does not hurt every now and again to think of faculty as "us" instead of "us vs them." It won't make us forget the inequities but might help remember (and remind others) of common purpose.

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  3. Maybe I did not use the right word when I said "skirt." Because I do say that she does not speak directly about us but mentions us and then goes on to talk of other things. I enjoyed reading the article, as I did the others and signed up for the newsletter. You are right: we need to make bridges and realize our common purpose. In these coming years when all higher ed will come under attack in different forms, it is best to know our friends.

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