People do not realize that many decades ago at Berkeley they decided freshman composition should also be given by (many) departments other than English. They have it in Rhetoric, Dramatic Art, Comparative Literature, and now all of these departments. This means that English is more immune to being asked to staff these courses with adjuncts, … More On the adjunct crisis
One of these is needed. Axé.
In an institution long ago there was a full professor who called himself “Lalo,” as a result of which we nicknamed him “Teddy” so we could talk about him and not be understood. “Teddy” sounds nothing like his real name. Cross-appointed, Teddy disapproved of my friendship with a professor in his other department. Walter F. Pitts … More Authoritarian manpulations…
I will order books from Interlibrary Loan. I will finish my Peruvian abstract and make the plane reservation. I will work more on my vita. I have enough to say to fill several books. I will go to the Home Depot and buy eight concrete blocks, each four inches high. I will repair shoes, and … More Jeudi
“You must take care of yourself (and not your work).” Some fallacies inhere in this sentence (depending on how it is used). #OccupyHE Axé.
I said I would give a senior/graduate level course called Raza y palabra, on race and writing in Spain and Latin America, 1486-2014. This happened in a flash of inspiration and I do not now remember my concept clearly. The title is entirely too ambitious, and there is entirely too much potential material. I must … More Mon cours
→It is the gaslighting and the undermining, even more than the lack of a research culture. My claustrophobia. I did not say this myself, but someone else said my problem was having to work at too low a level. (He said something much blunter than that, about having to work “seven categories” beneath my capability.) I … More Just to be sure I remember…
What is the origin of that line, where was it first heard (surely not in the 20th century)? Axé.
Look at these instructions on how to apply for jobs. I had a flash of insight: they are asking for more materials now because they are tired of weak applications. I have never applied for a job that asked for a research statement, but I always included clear discussion of research in my letter. Now … More A flash of insight
It might be that this is where I would have to live, if I get and take Job #1. It is extremely expensive but everything that looks reasonable in that town has hidden costs or if not, is entirely too depressing (as in, I would rather stay here and leave the profession than move there and live … More Housing, and budgeting, and negotiating
