Dynamic Subspace » phd

Benton’s “Dodging the Anvil” and Reinventing What You Can Do With an English PhD

Jason W Ellis — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:03:55 +0000

Thomas H. Benton (pen name for William Pannapacker) wrote a real gem on The Chronicle’s website on January 4, 2010 titled, “Dodging the Anvil” (i.e., the anvil of doom already and always falling on the poor head of Wily E. Coyote). The article is about the continuing horror of humanities graduate students to find gainful employment within the academy. He writes:

Even with some cyclic ups and downs, following the U.S. economy, the academic job market has been in a depression since the early 1970s, and—just as we were beginning to accept that things were not going to improve—we are now confronted with an even more desperate situation for the humanities job seeker. If we regard the Modern Language Associations Job Information List as representative of the humanities, then we are seeing the most rapid decline in advertised positions since the MLA started keeping records, 34 years ago “MLA Newsletter,” Winter 2009. Last year, at the beginning of the recession, the number of positions advertised in English declined by 24.4 percent; this year it is down by an additional 40 percent. Last year foreign-language positions were down 27 percent; this year they are down by an additional 52 percent.

via Dodging the Anvil – Advice – The Chronicle of Higher Education.

This was a year and a half ago, and I suspect that things are as bad or worse now. Benton works through the difficulties of getting a job, and he also offers a few suggestions about how to obtain a job despite the mess that things are in now. However, the suggestions that he makes are obvious–be the best from the best school and have the best luck–something that he readily admits. Things are just that bad right now.

Benton does wonder at the end of the piece about the possibilities of finding employment outside of the academy. He thinks that it might be high-time for humanities PhDs to re-invent themselves for a variety of jobs. This is something that I have already had some experience with a graduate of Georgia Tech with the mystifying, “B.S. in Science, Technology, in Culture.” It was certainly a rigorous and preparatory program, but I had to devise my own ways to tell others about what I did there and how it prepared me for the programs that I applied for afterwards.

Now, it might be necessary for many of us to consider how we might do a similar thing with English Literature PhDs in order to work at many different kinds of jobs. I believe that this will be extremely difficult in its own right, because many employers will be afraid of hiring someone with such a high terminal degree for a job that on the surface does not need someone with that kind of training. It might come down to other work that PhD holders have done (e.g., blogging, non-academic writing, internships, tangible self-employment that demonstrates other skills, etc.).

Personally, I am still in this game for the long haul to be a professor, but the terrible job reports are keeping me painfully aware of the necessity of having a plan b, c, d, . . . etc.

Filed under: Pedagogy Tagged: careers, humanities, jobs, phd, postaday2011

James Franco Also English PhD Student

Jason W Ellis — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 04:42:11 +0000

I just read on The New York Times that the actor James Franco is also an English PhD student. He is apparently a full time PhD student at Yale and a MA student in the film program at New York University. Find out more about this Hollywood star and professional student here: James Franco’s 2 Roles at Yale – Scholar and Lightning Rod – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: News Tagged: english, hollywood, ma, phd, postaday2011

I Have Officially Passed All Three PhD Exams

Jason W Ellis — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:09:00 +0000

I received “a very very strong pass” on my third and final PhD exam! Even though I’ve been waiting to hear about the results of that exam, I have been formulating my dissertation topic. I picked up three bags of books from the library yesterday, and I hiked another bag back home today. I’m skimming ideas to see where I can find a space to drive my first piton.

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, kentstate, ksu, phd

PhD Exams, 2 Passes, Major Exam Results in July

Jason W Ellis — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:08:11 +0000

I received word from Mack Hassler this morning that I had passed the PKD exam! That’s two down, and only one to go: 20th-Century American Literature. Kevin Floyd is working abroad in Germany this Summer, so he won’t get back to me until sometime in July. I knew this going into the exams, so no worries.

Today, I really took it easy. I slept late. I sorted some Legos from a major haul I made this past weekend (pictures to come soon). I prepared the majority of items for the next issue of Pakistaniaat. And I had some good sushi at Dancing Beta this afternoon for lunch.

I have plenty to do and other things that I would like to do given the time and energy, but anything right now is far better than the stress from each exam.

Filed under: Science Fiction Tagged: exams, kentstate, legos, phd

PhD Exams, All Done but the Waiting, 1 Pass

Jason W Ellis — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:33:52 +0000

I finished my third and final PhD exam today on the fictions of Philip K. Dick. I have already received a pass from Tammy Clewell on my Postmodern Theory exam, so now I wait to hear back on my other two exams. It’s a relief to be done, but it doesn’t really feel like I’m done with the exams. I suppose that will change when I hear the results on the other two exams.

The one thing that I am very happy about is that I don’t have to sit and write any longer in the exam setting. Timed typing has destroyed my finger-wrist-arm assembly: 28 pages in 5 hours on the major exam, 21 pages in 4 hours on theory, and 27 pages in 4 hours on PKD. Not to mention the mental numbness that sets in toward the end of the exam. In fact, I began to feel like an android by the end of each exam. Running through my tape, one instruction followed by another, and another datum passed through the memory banks and into the output. Dawn Lashua, the graduate student secretary, caught something that I had not perceived in my flurry of typing today. I was not consciously aware that I had wrote the last sentence on my last exam so that it concluded: “the end.”

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, kentstate, phd, pkd

PhD Exams, 2 Down, 1 to Go

Jason W Ellis — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:05:49 +0000

I completed my second PhD exam today, which was on postmodern theory and poststructuralism. I have a good feeling about it, and I’m ready to tackle the final exam on Philip K. Dick’s works on Monday.

My wrists are doing much better than they were on Tuesday, because I sat up with better posture and kept my wrists from resting on the desk. However, my back now hurts from using good posture. I better do some crunches over the weekend and improve my core strength!

Yufang kept me supplied with coffee and lemon cake: that and love went an awfully long way toward getting me through the exam. I received the postcard pictured above in the mail yesterday from a certain someone . . .

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, phd, postmoderism, postmodern, theory

PhD Exams, 1 Down, 2 to Go

Jason W Ellis — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:11:31 +0000

I’m extremely relieved to have gotten the major exam on 20th century American literature out of the way. Though, it’s kind of painful to type this right now so I’m going to be brief. I nearly used the full five hours with a short break for lunch when Yufang dropped off some coffee. I got to a point where I didn’t want to look at it any more, and I wasn’t sure if I could type more anyways. I’m proud of my answers, but I feel undone and frayed by the work. At least I have a day to recuperate before the postmodern theory exam on Thursday.

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, kentstate, phd

Tomorrow It Begins, First of Three PhD Qualifying Exams

Jason W Ellis — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:06:03 +0000

Tomorrow, I will take the first of three PhD qualifying exams. The first will be the longest at five hours on 20th-century American literature. Thursday, I will take my postmodern theory exam, which will take four hours, and next Monday, I will take an exam on Philip K. Dick’s writings, also four hours.

It’s storming right now, but luckily the power went off after a lightning strike for only a few minutes. I was stressing about charging my iPod and printing out a copy of my reading list.

Our lights are back on, the reading list is printed, and my iPod is now charging. I feel as ready as I ever will be. I just need to wash my water bottle, assemble a snack kit, and get some rest.

Here I go!

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, kentstate, phd

Reading List for PhD Minor Exam on the Works of Philip K. Dick

Jason W Ellis — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:33:56 +0000

In June 2010, I will take my three PhD exams in the Kent State University English Literature PhD program. For these exams, I convened a committee of trusted professors, each administering one exam. I choose to take my exams in these areas: 20th Century American Literature (administered by Kevin Floyd), Postmodern Theory (administered by Tammy Clewell), and the Philip K. Dick Canon (administered by Donald “Mack” Hassler). Below, I have included my Philip K. Dick reading list. Go here to read my Postmodern Theory exam list, and here to read my 20th Century American Literature exam list.

PhD Minor Area Exam: Philip K. Dick’s Fiction and Non-Fiction, and Critical Works

Director: Donald “Mack” Hassler

Novels by Philip K. Dick, organized by date of composition.

Dick, Philip K. Gather Yourselves Together. 1950. 1994.
—. Voices from the Street. 1952. 2007.
—. Vulcan’s Hammer . 1953. 1960.
—. Dr. Futurity. 1953. 1960.
—. The Cosmic Puppets. 1953. 1957.
—. Solar Lottery. 1954. 1955.
—. Mary and the Giant. 1954. 1987.
—. The World Jones Made. 1954. 1956.
—. Eye in the Sky. 1955. 1957.
—. The Man Who Japed. 1955. 1956.
—. The Broken Bubble. 1956. 1988.
—. Puttering About in a Small Land. 1957. 1985.
—. Time Out of Joint. 1958. 1959.
—. In Milton Lumky Territory. 1958. 1985.
—. Confessions of a Crap Artist. 1959. 1975.
—. The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike. 1960. 1982.
—. Humpty Dumpty in Oakland. 1960. 1986.
—. The Man in the High Castle. 1961. 1962.
2009/12/2
—. We Can Build You. 1962. 1972.
—. Martian Time-Slip. 1962. 1964.
—. Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb. 1963. 1965.
—. The Game-Players of Titan. 1963. 1963.
—. The Simulacra. 1963. 1964.
—. The Crack in Space. 1963. 1966.
—. Now Wait for Last Year. 1963. 1966.
—. Clans of the Alphane Moon. 1964. 1964.
—. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. 1964. 1965.
—. The Zap Gun. 1964. 1967.
—. The Penultimate Truth. 1964. 1964.
—. Deus Irae. 1964. 1976. (Collaboration with Roger Zelazny).
—. The Unteleported Man. 1964. 1966. (Republished as Lies, Inc. in 1984).
—. The Ganymede Takeover. 1965. 1967. (Collaboration with Ray Nelson).
—. Counter-Clock World. 1965. 1967.
—. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1966. 1968.
—. Nick and the Glimmung. 1966. 1988.
—. Ubik. 1966. 1969.
—. Galactic Pot-Healer. 1968. 1969.
—. A Maze of Death. 1968. 1970.
—. Our Friends from Frolix 8. 1969. 1970.
—. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said. 1970. 1974.
—. A Scanner Darkly. 1973. 1977.
—. Radio Free Albemuth. 1976. 1985.
—. VALIS. 1978. 1981.
—. The Divine Invasion. 1980. 1981.
—. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. 1981. 1982.

Short Fiction by Philip K. Dick, needs elaboration by individual stories.

The Philip K. Dick Reader. 1997.
Robots, Androids, and Mechanical Oddities: The Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick. Eds. Patricia S. Warrick and Martin H. Greenberg. 1984.

Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick. 2002.

Non-Fiction by Philip K. Dick

Dick, Philip K. “The Android and the Human.” Vector: Journal of the British Science Fiction Association 64 (March/April 1973): 5-20.
—. The Dark Haired Girl. 1988.

Critical Works

Fitting, Peter. “Ubik: The Deconstruction of Bourgeois SF.” Science Fiction Studies 2:1 (1975). 19 October 2007 .
Haney, William S. II. Culture and Consciousness: Literature Regained. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 2002.
Kucukalic, Lejla. Philip K. Dick: Canonical Writer of the Digital Age. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Mackey, Douglas A. Philip K. Dick. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988.
Palmer, Christopher. Philip K. Dick: Exhilaration and Terror of the Postmodern. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2003.
On Philip K. Dick: 40 Articles from Science-Fiction Studies. .
Sutin, Lawrence. Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005.
Suvin, Darko. “P.K. Dick’s Opus: Artifice as Refuge and World View.” Science Fiction Studies 2:22 (1975). 19 October 2007 .
Vest, Jason P. The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
Warrick, Patricia S. The Cybernetic Imagination in Science Fiction. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1980.
—.Mind in Motion: The Fiction of Philip K. Dick. Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois UP, 1987.

Filed under: Kent State, Personal, Science Fiction Tagged: exams, kentstate, phd, pkd, sciencefiction

Reading List for PhD Minor Exam in Postmodern Theory

Jason W Ellis — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:30:22 +0000

In June 2010, I will take my three PhD exams in the Kent State University English Literature PhD program. For these exams, I convened a committee of trusted professors, each administering one exam. I choose to take my exams in these areas: 20th Century American Literature (administered by Kevin Floyd), Postmodern Theory (administered by Tammy Clewell), and the Philip K. Dick Canon (administered by Donald “Mack” Hassler). Below, I have included my Postmodern Theory reading list. Go here to read my 20th century American literature exam list, and here to read my Philip K. Dick exam list.

PhD Minor Exam Area: Postmodern Theory

Director: Tammy Clewell

Texts:

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation.
Berman, Marshall. All That Is Solid Melts Into Air.
Bertens, Hans. The Idea of the Postmodern: A History.
Broderick, Damien. Reading by Starlight: Postmodern Science Fiction.
Bukatman, Scott. Terminal Identity: The Virtual Subject in Postmodern Science Fiction.
Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter.
de Certeau, Michel. The Practice of Everyday Life.
Deleuze, Gilles and Félix Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia.
Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology.
Eagleton, Terry. The Illusions of Postmodernism.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality Volume 1: An Introduction.
Habermas, Jürgen. “Modernity: An Incomplete Project.”
—. Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature.
Harvey, David. The Condition of Postmodernity.
Hassan, Ihab. The Postmodern Turn.
Hayles, N. Katherine. How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics.
Huyssen, Andreas. After the Great Divide.
Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction.
Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism: Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism.
—. Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions.
Latour, Bruno. We Have Never Been Modern.
Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge.
McHale, Brian. Postmodernist Fiction.
Norris, Christopher. What’s Wrong with Postmodernism?
Perryman, Mark ed. Altered States: Postmodernism, Politics, Culture.
Poster, Mark. The Information Subject.
Vattimo, Gianni. The Transparent Society.
Wilde, Alan. Horizons of Assent: Modernism, Postmodernism, and the Ironic Imagination

Filed under: Kent State, Personal Tagged: exams, kentstate, phd, postmodern, poststructuralism