MLA Commons | Alt-Academics | Activity https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/ Activity feed for the group, Alt-Academics. Sun, 05 Apr 2026 08:53:44 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v=10.6.0 en-US 30 hourly 2 d815bfd70dba61d6491d55094cd18363 Stacey Amo started the topic Discussion Group on What Contingency Means to You in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/discussion-group-on-what-contingency-means-to-you-3/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 20:26:47 -0500 Join members of the Committee on Contingent Labor in the Profession for an informal discussion about the forms of contingency, the needs of contingent faculty members, and resource sharing. January 6, 10:15-11:30am, PCC – 202A (Grand Hall Level 2) https://mla.confex.com/mla/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Session/19063

]]> 0 efb292bc64c4d6d9c096caa490f4e0f7 Katina Rogers deposited #Alt-Academy: Alternative Careers for Academic Scholars in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1745955/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 02:24:16 -0400 This e-book is the first volume of the online publication #Alt-Academy. Edited by Bethany Nowviskie, this volume contains all 24 essays published by the 32 authors who contributed to #Alt-Academy’s initial collection. The following text, also by Nowviskie, is from the 2011 website launch:

#Alt-Academy was created by and for people with deep…[Read more]

]]> 0 18b50a0b95d90eddd4c3f56b68618610 Lee Skallerup Bessette deposited Affective Labor and Faculty Development: COVID-19 and Dealing with the Emotional Fallout in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1724950/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 02:23:38 -0500 Like most centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) in 2020, ours has been engaged in continual, responsive support during the COVID-19 global pandemic. In addition to offering our rapid, knowledgeable, and evidence-based instructional development approaches during this time, we found affective skills—compassion, empathy, and listening—surfaced as…[Read more]

]]> 0 84c285e01093b47b3bb620f7ce65a8b8 Katina Rogers deposited CGS Research and Policy Forum: Putting the Humanities PhD to Work in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1703778/ Fri, 31 Jul 2020 02:25:27 -0400 These slides are from a presentation to the quarterly CGS Research & Policy Forum. The forum featured Dr. Katina Rogers and her new book, Putting the Humanities PhD to Work: Thriving in and Beyond the Classroom (Duke University Press, 2020). The talk centers on the notion that career development is not a standalone issue. Rather, it is embedded in…[Read more]

]]> 0 0c345a0b3740e7c67434d51467b6744e Lee Skallerup Bessette deposited Contingency, Staff, Anxious Pedagogy — and Love in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1658069/ Fri, 19 Jul 2019 03:48:43 -0400 This essay explores the role of love, as defined by bell hooks, in pedagogy as well as how it plays into anxiety in our current moment.

]]> 0 19670f0bdfd860b9981030f583089086 Molly Des Jardin deposited Teaching "East Asian DH" in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1627990/ Sat, 05 Jan 2019 16:26:28 -0500 This presentation explains my undergrad/grad seminar “East Asian DH” (EALC111/511) at University of Pennsylvania in Spring 2018. I focus on the survey format of the seminar, as dictated by the challenge of trying to reach students working on many aspects of the un-discipline of East Asian studies, which encompasses a large region, at least three…[Read more]

]]> 0 f138b7b8143ebd95b20570e297b5a2f8 Patricia M. Hswe started the topic CFP for 2019 Association for Computers and the Humanities Conference—due Nov. 10 in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/cfp-for-2019-association-for-computers-and-the-humanities-conference-due-nov-10-2/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 01:05:18 -0400 Dear Colleagues,

November 10, the deadline to submit proposals for the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) conference, is fast approaching! Have you sent in your proposal yet?

ACH is the U.S.-based constituent organization in the Alliance for Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO). Next summer, in partnership with Carnegie…[Read more]

]]> 0 4c39e09884d3fca691d0b816b0ea8d03 Samara Hayley Steele replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013680 Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:37:02 -0500 But this I suppose isn’t a case of English pilfering the coffers of other languages, but rather its own, it seems.

…language and culture.  The things they do to each other!

]]> 0 b25a665f6139ca61a4447eb15e7f5573 Samara Hayley Steele replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013675 Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:27:41 -0500 @katinalynn  – Hi Katrina – yes, the reason I brought this up, actually is I’m new to the MLA, and while scrolling through the Commons earlier this week, I had a double-take moment & actually took a screen shot of the group name in preparation for a social media post along the lines of “My god!  They’ve infiltrated the MLA!”  That fear of co…[Read more]

]]> 0 b62500aecf782a16e9d8e62e725011c1 Josef Horacek replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013646 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 05:37:20 -0500 Merging this group with Connected Academics would make sense.

As for the alt-ac term, I found it rather confusing even before the resent resurgence of the alt-right. Para-academic seems more accurate and sounds kind of badass.

]]> 0 40accb2dd515b9259565c2c487539ce1 Katina Rogers replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013639 Wed, 22 Feb 2017 14:24:52 -0500 Hi Samara, this has been on my mind, too. I edit #Alt-Academy and have felt some concern about how the term may be read in the current political climate. While Brian is right about the history, I think the term has outlived much of its original usefulness and tends to provoke a somewhat negative reaction in people now. In my own work, I favor…[Read more]

]]> 0 17c4908e7bb3061fa990c7b69f51f831 Nicky Agate replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013629 Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:40:06 -0500 We’ve tried to avoid using “alt-academic” and “alt-ac” in Connected Academics discussions, focusing instead on humanities careers. If this group is interested in moving discussion over to the Connected Academics group, or alternatively over to the broader Humanities Commons platform (in order to engage with non-members and humanities practitioners…[Read more]

]]> 0 323b1bc5a7aa038d5a4d82d202f1f0a6 Brian Croxall replied to the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/#post-1013627 Tue, 21 Feb 2017 15:02:31 -0500 That’s an interesting idea, Samara, and one that frankly hadn’t occurred to me. I think it’s important to recognize that the term “alt-ac” came about serendipitously and stuck in part because it filled a need that hadn’t been visible until the term was coined by Jason Rhody. Bethany Nowviskie wrote a short piece a few years ago that traced the…[Read more]

]]> 0 9caf52d24453da45bfdc8ae66a258758 Samara Hayley Steele started the topic Should the term "Alt-Academic" be changed in the light of new cultural shifts? in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/should-the-term-alt-academic-be-changed-in-the-light-of-new-cultural-shifts/ Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:38:41 -0500 It would seem connecting the term “Alt-” these days to anything now denotes a type of political affiliation–alt-right, alt-facts, etc–and I assume those political affiliations do not describe this group.

As a para-academic myself (an academic who works alongside & in conjunction with an academic institution, but not within it in a tra…[Read more]

]]> 0 8a57257e57c50da620d2bdf123877ab1 Katina Rogers deposited Humanities Unbound: Supporting Careers and Scholarship Beyond the Tenure Track in the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1556652/ Fri, 06 Jan 2017 01:00:08 -0500 As humanities scholars increasingly recognize the value of public engagement, and as the proportion of tenure-track faculty positions available continues to decline, many humanities programs are focusing renewed attention on equipping graduate students for careers as scholars both within and beyond academe. To support those efforts, the Scholarly…[Read more]

]]> 0 e6382b336a978be943d3c3a28ea34d59 Megan Massino started the topic Alt-ac admins: Open Discussion on Humanities Postdocs in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/alt-ac-admins-open-discussion-on-humanities-postdocs/ Mon, 30 Nov 2015 21:48:51 -0500 Alt-ac folks who work at centers, institutes, and in programs that offer postdoctoral fellowship positions–I need you! Join me for a discussion of postdocs in the humanities at the upcoming MLA convention. Coffee, tea, and light breakfast items will be served. Email me at massino@wisc.edu to let me know if you can attend and if you’d like to s…[Read more]

]]> 0 ab81743b248874e1f8a46f681ce4da72 Patricia M. Hswe started the topic Open meeting of the Libraries and Research Forum at 2016 Convention in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/open-meeting-of-the-libraries-and-research-forum-at-2016-convention/ Mon, 12 Oct 2015 20:03:09 -0400 Thought the alt-ac group might be interested in this open meeting of the Libraries and Research Forum at the 2016 convention in Austin, TX. The topic of discussion, “What Was, Is, and Shall Be an Academic Library – and Who Will Work There?” The session is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, at 3:30 PM.

Details in this blog…[Read more]

]]> 0 ddd4e0d87902c4558983a18562ec1bcc Nicky Agate replied to the topic New resource for alternative careers in the humanities in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/new-resource-for-alternative-careers-in-the-humanities/#post-8106 Mon, 06 Jul 2015 18:55:37 -0400 The Connected Academics site is also connected to an active group, in which your participation is welcome and encouraged!

]]> 0 72027bebad265d0091ac5ca994aef49b Nicky Agate started the topic New resource for alternative careers in the humanities in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/new-resource-for-alternative-careers-in-the-humanities/ Tue, 05 May 2015 17:43:55 -0400 I invite members of this group who might be interested in exploring careers beyond university teaching to explore our new site for the Connected Academics initiative. Content—interviews, advice, resources—will updated regularly, but please let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see up there.

connect.mla.hcommons.org

]]> 0 5f441615d9fc02faccf3a4e62e90f7ea Suha Kudsieh started the topic FYI: Beyond the Professoriate: A Virtual Conference for PhDs in Career Transiti in the discussion Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/fyi-beyond-the-professoriate-a-virtual-conference-for-phds-in-career-transiti-2/ Tue, 24 Mar 2015 02:21:34 -0400 FYI, please feel free to post and/or circulate the announcement.

Regards,

Suha
—

Beyond the Professoriate: A Virtual Conference for PhDs in Career Transition

Hosted by Maren Wood (Lilli Research Group) and Jennifer Polk (From PhD to Life)

May 2 and 9, 2015

Attend one day: US $25

Attend two days: US $39

Register at:…[Read more]

]]> 0 0b805977faaf13a04f564c0e294d555a Suha Kudsieh started the topic CFP: "Pursuing Alternative Career Paths" - NeMLA, 30 April - 3 May 2015 -Toronto in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/cfp-pursuing-alternative-career-paths-nemla-30-april-3-may-2015-toronto/ Wed, 20 Aug 2014 21:20:52 -0400 [Please circulate as widely as possible and thank you for your help]

CFP: “Pursuing Alternative Career Paths” – NeMLA, 30 April – 3 May 2015 (Toronto, ON, Canada)

46th Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
30 April – 3 May 2015

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sept. 30, 2014

Panel…[Read more]

]]> 0 1912d1cb22b0007afffdcac6885f4d34 Liana Silva-Ford started the topic Some posts I've shared in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/some-posts-ive-shared/ Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:41:05 -0400 Hello my fellow alt-ac folk:

I cross-posted on our group blog two posts on the altac life that went live on my personal blog. I’m leaving my current alt-ac position and I started my alt-ac job search–or, I […]

]]> 0 df8f8d20966aa285b4436b9096465369 Liana Silva-Ford replied to the topic Let's give the blog a try? in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/lets-give-the-blog-a-try/#post-1515 Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:32:39 -0400 I’m about to cross-post two entries from my blog on what I lovingly termed #thealtaclife. Thanks for getting this started!

]]> 0 016caad544d6b8b5d0f26f455921c1e1 Liana Silva posted an update in the group Alt-Academics: While at work I am thinking about academics making time to […] https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/12675/ Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:29:00 -0500 While at work I am thinking about academics making time to write, esp. #altac folks. It’s especially hard for those of us who enjoy writing. I’m wondering about the research/writing routine of others who are #altac.

]]> 4 7a89a3eec8550fd9d26e96a869905b13 Sarah Werner replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1163 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:04:38 -0500 I uploaded my slides and audio as separate files through SlideShare; once you’ve uploaded your slides it gives you the option of adding  audio, and you can then add an mp3 file to it. Maybe that’s an option?

]]> 0 94906a046de2c72dda4e33bf356940fe Liana Silva-Ford replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1160 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:50:48 -0500 I’m having some trouble uploading my slideshow online. I recorded the audio onto the PowerPoint slideshow itself, and every time I upload it online the slideshow shows up without the audio. So, you can click […]

]]> 0 169e1bb2b541a8d6c9bee31298fa23bd Stephanie Murray replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1159 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 06:12:21 -0500 ^By which I mean “My own session *wasn’t* entirely alt-ac focused.” (Edit disappears after a while!)

]]> 0 33b4e6807a837c13bf4db7c9c665783c Stephanie Murray replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1158 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:16:54 -0500 My session was entirely alt-ac focused, but my own position is and this was my talk (sadly slideless).

]]> 0 915117643a43b4e2f569e0e818babb11 Liana Silva-Ford replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1135 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:13:03 -0500 Nice! I’m going to link to this on the Google + community page for Alt-Acs.

]]> 0 73f875a0a99230c0d68e75fb31c6bb05 Katina Rogers replied to the topic Coverage of Alt-Ac Sessions at MLA in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/coverage-of-alt-ac-sessions-at-mla/#post-1134 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:41:59 -0500 Good idea, Brian; thanks for starting this.

Here are a couple of articles that are less squarely focused on the panels about alt-ac careers, but still relevant to this group:

PhD Without ‘Coverage’ […]

]]> 0 d6d0a8ae7f0927f7b509d9081ddd730d Daniel H. Wild replied to the topic Coverage of Alt-Ac Sessions at MLA in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/coverage-of-alt-ac-sessions-at-mla/#post-1133 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:28:06 -0500 A HuffPo  blog entry on reforming doctoral study mentions alt-ac in passing: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-starkman/reforming-doctoral-study-_b_2435243.html

]]> 0 8d69cd8443b90120301bb1083622e1c6 Brian Croxall started the topic Coverage of Alt-Ac Sessions at MLA in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/coverage-of-alt-ac-sessions-at-mla/ Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:22:35 -0500 In addition to the published versions of talks about alt-ac careers from this year’s MLA, there has also been some coverage in The Chronicle and Inside Higher Education:

The ‘Alt-Ac’ Track: MLA Discussions […]

]]> 0 2b27bed7e09be283beee85682634e6ce Brian Croxall replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1103 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:12:18 -0500 Excellent! My talk on the “Minor Differences and Diverging Paths” of alt-ac is on my website as well.

]]> 0 c3a094395914de6e12de1026dfdc6ba9 Katina Rogers replied to the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/#post-1089 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:22:19 -0500 Good idea, Sarah. My presentation from the roundtable on “Rebooting Graduate Training” is available here.

]]> 0 cb4c59d0d1649c70584bddc92d644b97 Sarah Werner started the topic MLA13 #altac presentations in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/mla13-altac-presentations/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:20:33 -0500 I thought it might be helpful to have a home for links to #altac presentations from MLA13. My own talk on “Make your own luck” (from the roundtable on “How Did I Get Here?”) is now on my blog, where you can hear […]

]]> 0 66f75dbba0bbdf2e95742f500416d726 Brian Croxall posted an update in the group Alt-Academics: My talk about #alt-ac and the differences between it and the […] https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/7679/ Sat, 05 Jan 2013 01:00:56 -0500 My talk about #alt-ac and the differences between it and the tenure track is now live at http://www.briancroxall.net/2013/01/04/minor-differences-and-diverging-paths/.

]]> 0 a12f46661093641c01719c51d15caa03 Katina Rogers started the topic Sessions of Interest to Alt-Academics at MLA13 in the forum Alt-Academics http://mla.hcommons.org/groups/alt-academics/forum/topic/sessions-of-interest-to-alt-academics-at-mla13/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:33:37 -0500 Hi all, I don’t think I’ve seen a round-up of sessions related to alt-ac careers and concerns. Here are a few that have caught my eye; please add others that I may have missed!

21. Avenues of Access for Recent […]

]]> 0 c4abe11af926e37be17c3a9daab58f99 Brian Croxall posted an update in the group Alt-Academics: Welcome to the Alt-Ac group! Be sure to check out Session […] https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/3586/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:59:15 -0500 Welcome to the Alt-Ac group! Be sure to check out Session 270 (“How Did I Get Here? Our ‘Altac’ Jobs” at the 2013 MLA Convention: Friday, 4 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., Back Bay B, Sheraton.

]]> 3 c4c24cafb159cd9895c7ad93031d2d0d Brian Croxall created the group Alt-Academics https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/3543/ Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:50:13 -0500 3