Weekend Reading – Doing it Wrong Edition
|
Posted By: How May I Help You NC on April 28, 2017 by Lee Skallerup Bessette It’s that time of the (academic) year for many of us: we are neck-deep in grading, in stressed-out student, in wondering if we’ll even have a job in the fall and how are going to make ends meet over the summer. Typically, this would be the time to share self-care pieces, but instead I’m sharing a few provocative readings that have prompted me to ask the question, maybe we’re doing this wrong. •Life Hacks of the Aimless and Poor, by Laurie Penny in The Baffler. “The isolating ideology of wellness works against this sort of social change in two important ways. First, it persuades all us that if we are sick, sad, and exhausted, the problem isn’t one of economics. There is no structural imbalance, according to this view—there is only individual maladaption, requiring an individual response. The lexis of abuse and gas-lighting is appropriate here: if you are miserable or angry because your life is a constant struggle against privation or prejudice, the problem is always and only with you. Society is not mad, or messed up: you are.” •Better Writing Won’t Cure Your Academic Woes, by Maximillian Alvarez in The Chronicle. “Like bear traps clamped onto our spleens, the contemporary academy holds us in place with such polished myths, which tell us who we are or who we should be — myths about how productive we’d be if we “focused more,” about our mental health being an entirely “personal” issue having nothing to do with our exploitative environments, about academe being a meritocracy, about the golden shores of tenure waiting for us if we just swim hard enough. Uncompromisingly, publicly, communally, we need to renounce our allegiance to these myths and throw them into the fire for good.” •Digital Identities & Digital Citizenship: Houston, We Have a Problem, by Bonnie Stewart in the theoryblog. “Digital identity isn’t just the wrong lens for figuring out digital scholarship, or encouraging participatory engagement in learning. It’s actually the wrong lens for building towards any vision of digital citizenship that makes for a liveable, decent digital social sphere to inhabit.” •Nevertheless, He Persisted: Tales of Masculine Perseverance, by Michael Hare and Nell Stevens in McSweeney’s (SATIRE). ““I love sports,” Steve Ames, 22, would say, “just not lady sports.” Whenever lady sports came on TV, he would wave his hands in mock excitement and squawk, “Look at me! I’m a lady playing lady sports! Don’t mess up my hair! Oh no, I broke a nail!” Nobody ever laughed. He persisted nevertheless.” •Building a Safe Space for Depression in Academia, by Emily Henken Ritter in Duck of Minerva and What I Learned From Attempting Suicide, by Anonymous in Inside Higher Ed. I’m not going to do a pull-quote from these, because much of these two pieces can be triggering. They are difficult and important reads, and tie into in a lot of ways with what is being said in the first two pieces here. We’re doing something very wrong in higher ed. And, we are not alone in feeling it, acutely. On a less somber note, here’s how every single Nickleback song is written. It’s *hysterical*. See video: http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/... http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
How May I Help You NC
Management, See Moss Interactive Bellarmine University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest Graduate School Info
 |
Graduate Student Fellowship Opportunity!We, at www.stemuscenter.org, just completed our first two informational sessions on Research Fellowship opportunity for STEM and Social Science doctoral students.
The mission of our center is to te ...more
Manisha Maurya • 1,369 Views • October 23rd, 2024 |
 |
4 Habits for Success in Online SchoolOnline education has become an increasingly popular option for students over the years, especially due to the current global pandemic. However, succeeding in online school takes more than just a good ...more
Anica Oaks • 1,667 Views • February 1st, 2024 |
Popular Graduate School Info
 |
People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak
Do you want people to think you are intelligent? Has someone ever told you “You’re much smarter than you look.”?
No doubt it can sting to be perceived as less intelligent, particularly when you ...more
How May I Help You NC • 30,524 Views • June 12th, 2017 |
 |
How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension If youd like to improve your reading comprehension, try the SQ3R method. This is an acronym that means: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.
Heres how it works:
Survey Your Text
Prior t ...more
How May I Help You NC • 24,073 Views • June 12th, 2017 |
 |
Never procrastinate and always free time…..One blog I read regularly is by Leo Babauta, called zen habits. Essentially, he writes all about simplifying your life. A while ago, Scott Young was a guest blogger for Babuata’s website and wrote a p ...more
How May I Help You NC • 13,813 Views • April 19th, 2018 |
 |
MVSU to host Graduate Expo March 1Why should you consider an advanced degree? How will you finance your graduate education? What program of study is the best fit for you?
For the answer to these questions and many more, attend Mis ...more
How May I Help You NC • 12,722 Views • February 27th, 2018 |
 |
How Academic Parents Can Find Time to ExerciseA question that often comes up when I do campus workshops on work/life balance is how and when busy academic parents can find time to exercise. As we get older, it becomes increasingly important for u ...more
How May I Help You NC • 12,393 Views • April 19th, 2018 |
