As we’ve discussed earlier in our series on surviving summer, humanities PhDs often trade money for time. That is, summers for PhD students are often unpaid but full of “free” time. Up to this point, we’ve covered a few ways to save money and reduce your cost of living over Read more…
Names have power. Interdisciplinary scholars know this. This is why our programs and our dissertations exist. If names did not matter than American Studies would not exist with its PhDs, its journals, and its conferences. American Studies does exist, with its PhDs, its journals, and its conferences, precisely because it Read more…
We just completed a series on what 15 abuse tactics can look like in academia. (Feel free to check it out here, here, and here.) I wanted to include a special post about The Academic Bumbler. This post is derived from Lili Loofbourow’s brilliant piece “The myth of the male Read more…
This mini-series is an adaptation of 15 signs of an abusive relationship from a romantic context to an academic context. Each installment will adapt 5 signs to an academic context. For more familiarity with the signs please check out the original article over at HuffPo. Love Bombing. Love bombing is Read more…
Talking about abusive advisors is hard for a lot of reasons. One reason why this series has dragged on for so long is because it has been personally difficult for me to compile these stories of abusive advisors. Many of them come from people I care about quite a bit Read more…
First, do no harm. I think about that phrase a lot. It’s part of the foundation of Western medicine. It’s part of the foundation of the Western academy. If you talk to me for any length of time you’ll find out that Feminist Standpoint Theory is my jam. I love Read more…
Hi Friends, It’s been over two months since we last posted. Perhaps you thought that we had disappeared, but we’re still here and still passionate about helping YOU get through your PhD in a way that is physically, mentally, and emotionally beneficial for you. One thing humanities PhD students know Read more…
One of the wisest pieces of advice I got while I was writing my dissertation was from a senior faculty member who observed that, “Sometimes, through no fault of their own, advisors and advisees get stuck in a loop rehashing the same issues in the text.” Again, in it’s own Read more…
Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: The overwhelming majority of PhD advisors are very bad at their job. This does not mean that they are bad people. Many, many of them are good people, good teachers, good scholars. And bad advisors. There are many reasons for this and the most Read more…
I recently shared that I have started a full-time job in academic advising. It will likely come as no surprise that I have something of a soapbox when it comes to advising at all levels. After all, what is this site, really, but an attempt to provide advice on how Read more…