Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century : How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities

"Many graduate students continue to be regarded as "apprentices" despite the fact that they are expected to design and teach their own classes, serve on university committees, and conference and publish regularly. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the attrition rate for American Ph.D. programs is at an all-time high, between 40% and 50% (higher for women and minorities). Of those who finish, only one in three will secure tenure-track jobs. These statistics highlight waste: of millions of dollars by universities and of time and energy by students. Rather than teaching graduate students how to be graduate students, then, the guide prepares them for what they really seek: a successful academic career"--Provided by publisher.

Differing from graduate school "survival guides," this book is the only book to confront the complex realities of graduate study in the humanities. Today, many graduate students are still regarded as "apprentices," despite the fact that they are expected to design and teach their own classes, serve on university committees, attend conferences, and publish regularly. Attrition rates for American Ph.D. programs are at an all-time high, and of those who finish, only one in three will secure tenure-track jobs. In a straightforward manner, Gregory Colón Semenza identifies the obstacles along the path of the academic career and provides tangible advice. Fully revised and updated, this new edition offers shrewd insight on advising, electronic publishing, and the post-financial crisis job market that will help students negotiate the changing landscape of academia. Semenza ably prepares graduate students and recent graduates for what they really seek: a successful academic career.

"Many graduate students continue to be regarded as "apprentices" despite the fact that they are expected to design and teach their own classes, serve on university committees, and conference and publish regularly. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the attrition rate for American Ph. D. programs is at an all-time high, between 40% and 50% (higher for women and minorities). Of those who finish, only one in three will secure tenure-track jobs. These statistics highlight waste: of millions of dollars by universities and of time and energy by students. Rather than teaching graduate students how to be graduate students, then, the guide prepares them for what they really seek: a successful academic career"--Provided by publisher A guide to forging a successful academic career for graduate students. As opposed to graduate school "survival guides," this book is the only book to confront the complex realities of graduate study in the humanities. In a straightforward manner, Semenza identifies the obstacles along the path of the academic career and offers tangible advice. Fully revised and updated, this edition's new material on advising, electronic publishing, and the post-financial crisis humanities job market will help students negotiate the changing landscape of academia. Semenza ably prepares graduate students and recent graduates for what they really seek: a successful academic career "Gregory Semenza's Graduate Study for the Twenty-first Century is a tough-minded, witty, generous discussion of how to enter the profession of scholarship and teaching. The appendices alone are worth the price of the book; Semenza provides samples of everything from course syllabi and job letters to materials on the teaching portfolio, book prospectus, conference participation A- everything a serious graduate student needs to succeed. The book should be required reading for graduate students and their professors." - Barry V. Qualls, Dean of Humanities, Rutgers University Front Matter....Pages i-xx Introduction....Pages 1-17 The Culture of a Graduate Program....Pages 18-38 The Structure of Your Graduate Career: An Ideal Plan....Pages 39-53 Organization and Time Management....Pages 54-75 The Graduate Seminar....Pages 76-89 The Seminar Paper....Pages 90-115 Teaching....Pages 116-148 Exams....Pages 149-166 The Dissertation....Pages 167-194 Attending Conferences....Pages 195-213 Publishing....Pages 214-237 Service and Participation....Pages 238-254 The Job Market....Pages 255-281 Afterword....Pages 282-287 Back Matter....Pages 288-340