Sometime in the past thirty years, I've read a short story by an American writer that's about a male college instructor teaching a night class at a big-city college, technical school, or university. It might have been by Bernard Malamud, might have been by Stanley Elkin, or perhaps by another author of the 1940s-1960s. It did not paint a cheerful portrait, but offered at least a bit of ironic humor. I'm pretty certain it played some role in causing me to avoid teaching for several years. Any ideas about the title and author?

I am not going to hang out here for too long because I am studying for my final. I have a question about my final and if people are lying to me about it. The TA for the class told me and my lab partner "watch out for professor --'s final" I said "Are the questions taken from the earlier exams?" TA said "no". I asked the professor and the professor said "the final will include questions that are similar or the same to the exams". Is he trying to fucking trick me? What should I do? 

Question for those of you who have published books with academic publishers - what was the extent of permission(s) required by your publisher, and how much did they run on average?  A friend is submitting her first book soon, and she's getting permission from every source cited in the text (in the field of English, for what it's worth, concerning 20th century lit from a variety of mainstream fiction and academic texts, mostly all still in copyright).  She has 70 sources: so far, the two who've gotten back to her have wanted $30 a pop.

Even my English-major math skills indicate a rough cost of 2K, if this is average.  So ... do all authors pay 2K out of pocket?  Do most publishers reimburse?  Am I missing something? 

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the formation of Summer Academic Working Groups for the 2012 season. Summer Academic Working Groups (SAWG) are clusters of academics working in related fields or on related topics who agree to exchange work in progress and feedback on a regular basis during the unstructured summer months. Participants often find that the deadlines provided by such a group are at least as valuable to their summer productivity as the feedback itself.

Participation is open to academics of all levels and disciplines, and there is no charge to participate. More information and the registration form are available at http://lpowner.jayandleanne.com/sawg.

Please feel free to circulate this announcement widely.

After submitting a paper to a journal, when should you expect to hear back?  Is there a generally accepted timeframe for (humanities) journals?

I know - this is a real newbie question, but I checked the "journals" tag and didn't see anything relevant - I hope that one of you will take pity on me.  I'm a MA student so I'm new to all this.  

Background: I submitted recently, but I'm just wondering what to expect.  It is a film-related journal in the Humanities field, and no, their website doesn't give any clue as to timeframe, nor does googling their name + relevant keywords yield anything.

Hi all.

I find myself nearing my comprehensive exams, assembling pieces of my dissertation and working on a half-dozen articles and reviews. As such, I need to find a better method for backing up my work, notes and chapters. I'm using an older external hard drive but am running out of space. Now that they are more affordable I'd like to get something better. Any suggestions on brands/models? I'd like to keep it under $100 and aim for 1 terabyte if possible.

Similarly, I'm trying to develop a better method for backing my work up at regular intervals. I don't want to over-write materials, but continue to compile them bi-weekly. Having a larger external hard drive will be helpful, but how does one go about such a thing? A full backup? Backing up only the documents you are trying to keep? Re-naming folders and dating them painstakingly? Any recommendations/experiences would be great!

Thanks in advance.

thought y'all might enjoy what one of our colleagues out there is up to :)

Hi Folks,

It has been a few years since I posted here last. Some old timers might remember my original posts which related a tale about student A, student B, and a problematic professor. And pants. Or, more to the point, no pants.

Short story: I recently won my lawsuit. It was a horrible ordeal. But I won because, not only did I tell the truth, but in the discovery process it came out that the professor had done the same - and in some cases worse - at *at least* three previous schools. My school simply didn't call his references. One institution told my lawyer that they wished my school had called them, because they had quite a lot to say about the professor/perpetrator.

I did want to say thanks very much to the A_A community for providing helpful advice and support when I was just beginning the process of making my formal complaint against the professor.

But what I'm really here for is to ask for your collective point of view regarding laws and policies when it comes to HR, claims and investigations of sexual harassment, and what can and should be changed, and how. Yes, I know that's kind of broad....

This is not an idle request. I have a conference with the District Attorney soon. This was part of the settlement agreement. I have some suggestions for the state which should help them avoid loosing another lawsuit like mine. I will share with the DA a few thoughts on policy, ethics, and what can and should be changed on campuses across the state. So I am coming to you folks now because I want to hear your thoughts also.

My hope is to begin to change law, policy, and attitudes at the institutional level. I know that's a difficult and maybe even too idealistic goal. But it has to start somewhere.

Hi guys, I am an undergrad. In my physics midterm I scored 66% on my exam  and the grade turned out to be 83. Is that a really good/bad curve? Please explain this to me. I feel like the teacher gives us extra points cause he wants to be popular. 

Hey A_A,

I'll be applying for jobs next year in education/humanities departments at R1 universities. I've also got some R2As and R2Bs on my list, since there are some good schools in this category. My question to you all is, how likely is it that I could get a job at an R2, then eventually move to an R1? Do I need to get an R1 job right out of the degree to work at an R1 in my life, or is an R2 university a legitimate stepping stone? Any advice you all can give me would be greatly appreciated :)

P.S. I know that the whole R1, R2A, R2B thing is outdated, but the Chronicle uses this rating system and so does everyone in my department.

What would be a fair amount to charge for editing a qualitative master's thesis (approx. 100 pages)? I have no idea what would be a fair price.

Thanks in advance for your input!

I posted a few days ago asking questions about Independent Study as an adjunct AND waiting for responses as a job applicant. I appreciate all your comments and thoughts! Turns out that I am just not getting paid for the IS, which is... whatever. A lesson learned. My department was apologetic and kind, and I am letting it go. Good experience to put on my resume.

As for the other item, funny enough, I got an email today to schedule a phone interview! This is the prelim step at this particular college before they choose folks for the campus visit. It's coming soon, so wish me luck. Feel free to offer advice if you have it, but I feel pretty confident and OK doing phone interviews in general. That's a plus!

Fingers crossed!

Hi everyone,

I have two separate questions here, and hope that is OK.

One is regarding one of my adjunct positions. I just started teaching at a local college in Fall 2011, and one of my students from last semester asked if I would work with her on an independent study this spring, i.e. now. I agreed, thinking it was nice that I made such a positive impression on the student and also that it would be a bit of extra income – I know not as much as a full class, but something.

I asked around to the department secretary to find out if I could even accept the IS as an adjunct, as well as how much it would pay. I did get approval for the IS, but never a straight answer about the pay rate. Nothing extra has shown up beyond the one course I am teaching on my paycheck stub, so I emailed the chair of the department this past week to further inquire. He replied saying that it was his impression that IS is just something that everyone accepts doing as part of their service once in a while, and that he doesn't think that there is pay involved, but that he'd double check. I could accept that MAYBE for a full-time faculty who is getting decent pay and benefits that would be OK, but for an adjunct you'd think that they could at least throw you a few hundred for your trouble, right?

Am I totally off base in this thinking? Honestly, I'd probably do it anyway because I've got a great student and it doesn't take too much time to work with her, but on principle this pisses me off! Adjuncts get crap pay and nothing else to begin with!

What has your experience been? Is this standard practice?

***

My second question involves job applications. I just received my first rejection letter (it was nice, though!) and have about 20 other places to hear from. Is there any guideline about when you'd hear from a school who's interested in you? For instance, the longer it takes to hear from a committee is better, or if they want to interview you, they'd tell you right away? Or is there no rhyme or reason? I have one school that I am really interested in, but the app deadline was back in mid-November and I have yet to hear a peep from them beyond the "we received your application" email. At this point I am giving up hope for that school; does that seem like logical thinking?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I was in a doctoral program but ended up taking a medical leave of absence...and never returned. Long story short, my advisor said that she couldn't be a positive reference for me. I did tell her in advance I wouldn't be returning (so that's not the reason), but I wasn't the best student under her while I was working.

I am thinking about applying to grad programs again, but now I have the problem with not having adequate references. I can only think of one solution: contact my old advisor and update her on my life. Ask how X project is going and whether I can contribute in any way. Use this chance (if I am provided with one) to gain hopefully build a positive relationship.

I know some of you are faculty members here. How would this "look" on an application if I don't have my  advisor's recommendation?

What are some ideas if this doesn't work out? How can I explain that I don't have a reference from my main advisor (who I did all my research with) when I apply.

How do you deal with the stress of an academic job search when your partner is also an academic?

My partner recently started a tenure-track job, and I'm in my final year of grad school in the sciences in a different city, looking for postdocs. There's only one major university in his city. I informally interviewed there, but it didn't go too well for various reasons. 

I'm pretty much applying for whatever postdocs and other related jobs I can find in the US. I had a campus interview recently which seemed to go ok. It's a decent position, but not the most prestigious by any means, and it's in a remote rural area two hours from the nearest metropolis (so a 2hr drive + 2hr flight if my partner and I had to visit each other). I have some kind of lead on an industry job in a big city which would be more accessible, but nothing's clear. Otherwise, the only news I've been getting are rejections.

While my partner is supportive, and open to trying to move to a more convenient location, his options are sort of limited in that he's at a highly ranked university now, and understandably, doesn't want to trade down by much. He's also clearly much more hardworking and academically successful than me, which makes me feel a bit insecure, and I can't help wondering if he's resenting me or judging me for not being able to get a job more easily. We've been together for years, and want to marry and start a family soon, but are holding off on it till our long-distance situation is resolved. The uncertainty is just making my job search that much more stressful. I can't help envying people whose personal life doesn't depend on them being successful in their professional life -- I feel like my whole life has become one big academic test. OTOH, I don't want to give up my career entirely and take up a podunk job in his city just to be with him.

I'm sure many of you in this community have been in my (or my partner's) situation. How do you handle it?

(I'm a community regular, but posting under a sockpuppet because my account is easily traceable to my identity.)

hey! it's really  hard to come up with a good topic . . . doing thesis during this semester is quite gruesome. Loaded of paper works is irritating however so overwhelming. 

Anyway, my title is " The effects of facebook, twitter and tumbler in the prevalence of multidimensional con-celebrated masses spearheaded by the Catholic Church in St. Gregory Cathedral". It's quite tough right?

Any idea about this?    

Looks to be Bookman Old Style, 9pt font, no spaces sans to space paragraphs. It's 15 pages long. What would the word count for that be? 8O

Hi All,
How frowned upon is it to submit an abstract on the day of the deadline? THE CFP just indicates the date of the deadline, not the time so I'm assuming the deadline is at midnight. However, I could be wrong. What have been your experiences with submitting an abstract at the last minute? Some people have told me that professors always submit abstracts and proposals post-deadline but as I graduate student I could see how they would not even open the email.

Thanks!

Well, if it's academia the answer is certainly yes. And then some more yes. But in concrete terms, I was wondering what the situation was in other departments on two issues. They're unconnected and 1 is clearly of more significance than the latter (well, until you get endless emails on maintenance issues or theatrical performances clogging up your inbox):

a) tenure track/tenure level hires: there is no departmental vote; the search committee alone decides and cannot relay information to the rest of the department until the dean has said yes and the offer has been made
b) those on sabbatical/study leave must stay in the loop on departmental business (mainly but not totally via email lists) and cannot be taken off those lists

I think you would all be interested in my new community- booksinc is a growing, off-topic book community. discuss here anything that pertains to reading. share as often as you'd like: the books you're reading,
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**owl_of_minerva approved this message : )

I'm working on a presentation for academics in my institution about copyright implications of social media use in an educational context - and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences or thoughts on this they'd care to share?

I'm thinking particularly of things a lecturer or professor can legally do with copyrighted material in a classroom that they cannot do online on a social media site. But there's also the issue on a personal level as researchers and experts in particular fields sharing and disseminating their own research on sites like Facebook and Twitter etc that claim a licence to use your content however they choose as part of the conditions of use, and the dangers of making statements on your field of choice on Twitter etc that can be distributed and syndicated to news outlets without your consent.

Hello everyone -- long time lurker and first time poster here. I read through the community information and checked out the links posted there to be sure my question would be appropriate. I'm not entirely sure that it is, but I don't think it's inappropriate either. In any case, if this question is not appropriate for this community, please let me know and I will try to take it elsewhere -- this is pretty much the only community I'm a member of that deals with this sort of topic.

Anyway, to my question. I have a BA in psychology, and am four years out of college. I got my degree in hopes of becoming some sort of social services type person. I worked for a couple years as a crisis counselor, working with adults with mental illnesses, and then for a few months as a home-based counselor working with children. After spending a few years in that area, I've become a bit jaded to that field of non-profit (when it comes to pay, I've dealt with not getting my promised bonus on account of the agency president needing his bonus first, and also with not getting a paycheck at all, when one was definitely owed me. Also, I can't stand people who work in that field because they want to take advantage of others). More and more recently, I'm feeling my calling may be a bit more activist type. I'm extremely passionate about a lot of women's rights issues, as well as having a ridiculously strong desire to work for the HRC someday. To a lesser degree, I'm also interested in getting into sexual and reproductive health education. Clearly, I have a lot of interests, and as far as determining where I'll end up, I'll probably seek out a career counselor. At this point though, I really want to start looking into Master's programs so that I can begin centering my focus. My problem, however, is that I have no idea what sort of Master's program I would need (which may partly be due to the fact that I have so many interests). Surely something that covers politics and social policies, but beyond that, I have no idea. Because I'm out of college, I can't ask an advisor or pop down to my career office. That being said, I apologize if this question is totally outside the realm of discussions that are supposed to take place. Like I said, just point me in the right direction, and I'll post this question elsewhere. Other than that, I'd be grateful for any suggestions or words of advice you all have to offer. Thanks. :)

PS I'm in the United States, if that factors in.

PSS It may very well be that I should take some other relevant undergrad courses, in which case, I'm grateful for any specific suggestions there as well. :)

Apologies if this has already been asked, but I couldn't see anything in previous posts (also mods, do we need a 'technology' tag?).

I'm thinking of getting a Kindle or similar as a way of carrying round/reading articles, rather than lugging papers everywhere, and was wondering if anyone had any experience or recommendations? A friend has mentioned that Sony readers are better because they allow you to annotate, but I don't know much more than that - any comments would be great. I'm in the UK if that makes a difference.

there is a professor at my school who left his wife for his graduate student about 5 years ago.  this is pretty well known. Unfortunately, he is the only one of my so-called friends who agreed to write me an LoR. Should I take his LoR? I am female. I am worried this might reflect badly on me and make it seem as though there was an inappropriate relationship between us? no? yes? 

that professor i was pissed off at and had a crush on. I ended up sending him a few insulting e-mails under the guise of asking for help with my paper. I am no longer attending the school, but have an INC for his class.

Can he turn me into a Dean and get me in trouble even if I am no longr a student? Please advise.

Quick stupid question about citations. I have a document pulled from EEBO which was produced in 1553 (title page dated 1553, includes descriptions of an event in 1553.) EEBO lists it as 1533, which has to be a typo. Do I put the date as 1553 in my biblio without noting the error, or put in a note that EEBO's got the date wrong, in case someone looks it up and tried to give me grief about misrepresentation?

The other issue of course it that it doesn't come up in an EEBO search if you restrict dates to 1553, so it would be harder for others to track the source down if I don't make note of the error... /overthinking things

so guys even though you told me not to i did e-mail the department chair about getting the professor in trouble. He e-mailed me today. Its my guess the department chair contacted him and told him to advise me about my paper-after I the dept chair 2 emails complaining about him.

1. If a professor agrees to write a letter of reference and then says he "doesn't know how"  to write the letter when you go to collect it can he get in trouble for this.

2. Can a professor get in trouble for not keeping appointments with students. My professor made us all meet with him to discuss our final papers. At my meeting he did not show up. Can he get in trouble for this?

I am pretty pissed off at this guy. I paid a lot of money to take his class and have sent several e-mails asking questions about my final paper and he's ignoring them. I am not learning how to do research so what the fuck is he being paid for.