Ode to the Tea Baggers

A while back we had an exchange on this blog about how much institutionalized hatred there is to anything conservative in academics. Some of my more liberally-inclined friends seemed a bit surprised (shocked) that conservatives would report a sense of strong institutional forces against their viewpoints, and therefore, quite unwelcomed in the Academy.

So I am in a lunch meeting yesterday with several faculty/administrators talking about new faculty orientation – this is a University committee. I leave for a second to get lunch (yes, life has not changed….I love to eat) and I return to a conversation about those “tea baggers.” I still am not sure why these conversations surprise me, but the level of presumed comfort that academics have with assuming political views of their colleagues is simply incredible to me. In the conversation about the “tea baggers” (which I found just a tad of irony was from a homosexual colleague…just struck me as somewhat ironic), another started to explain simply how stupid and uninformed those darn people are. After about 2 minutes of this I interjected, and in the end, we had a very thoughtful but spirited debate about the issues surrounding this “movement.” I really enjoyed the conversation but it got me thinking (which is painful for me).

What struck me as so obvious during that conversation is how “Tea Baggers” is now the newest version of the words redneck, hillbilly, cracker, and just about any other pejorative term to denigrate non-minorities (read: those stupid, hateful, inbred white people). It struck me as so obvious about how any hint of disparaging group-level images directed at protected classes is met with SUCH righteous indignation, but is not only tolerated but celebrated when it is directed at other groups. My liberal friends often damage their hands congratulating each other on how creative they can get with the Tea Bagger metaphors. I have gone back to read what is still one of the greatest assigned books I read in grad school, The Redneck Manifesto, by Jim Goad. One of the only good things Kevin Kelly ever taught me!

Institutionalized bias remain alive and well in the Academy. That should help some of you sleep very well tonight!

Why Are Professors More Likely to be Liberal than Conservative?

According to a recent study, it's about choice. Liberals are more likely than conservatives to enter academe. Of course, there are other factors correlated with career choice. From the Times:

The characteristics that define one’s political orientation are also at the fore of certain jobs, the sociologists reported. Nearly half of the political lopsidedness in academia can be traced to four characteristics that liberals in general, and professors in particular, share: advanced degrees; a nonconservative religious theology (which includes liberal Protestants and Jews, and the nonreligious); an expressed tolerance for controversial ideas; and a disparity between education and income.

I suppose this implies that conservatives have a lower disparity between education and income, given that they are less likely to choose jobs in academe (I have to assume they are more likely to choose jobs in the private sector where the income is higher).

The article is unpublished (and thus has not gone through peer review), but can be read here. I would have liked to review it for the GBOC, but I've gotta prep lecture for tomorrow, burn my bra and finish painting that protest sign. Such is life in the liberal academic community.

Online Education

Saturday Night Live strikes again. Too funny.

Liability Insurance

I read something in the recent edition of the Chronicle which really made me think. The story is about some academics getting liability insurance. There are a few dimensions to the story. First, is there a need for such insurance anyway to protect us if we get sued. Second, if we do get sued, will the University defend us and cover us with institutional liability insurance? Third, how about research or research-related work we do outside the formal structure of our academic appointment. Many of us, for example, do some level of consulting. While academic related, contracts are personal contracts and not University contracts. In the last situation, it seems we are clearly NOT covered.

To be honest, I never thought about this. The chances of us getting sued are likely low, but you know, possibly real. It seems that about $500k in insurance runs approximately $75/year and $1 million in the $125/year range. There seems to be mixed opinion if such protection is necessary. Bottom line - the story has me thinking and I thought I would share this with you.

Update & Monday Morning Humor

Hello readers,

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. Too long, in fact. I offer as both apology and explanation the fact that I started my first year in a tenure-track position this fall (that is, after the strike concluded and I could actually start work), which means that I have been completely slammed. However, now that I have settled into something of a routine, I plan to return to regular blogging. I've missed my GBOC peeps!

Anyway, I thought I'd start everyone's Monday morning off with a very important announcement. Below I have copied verbatim the text of an e-mail message I recently received from FBI Director Robert Mueller. Yeah, that's right -- personal correspondence from top FBI brass. Maybe you didn't know I'm official like that -- that's just the way I roll. And yes, I know the myriad spelling and syntax errors make you skeptical that this message actually came from the FBI director, but what do you expect? He's a busy man! Those Top Ten Fugitives aren't going to just turn themselves in, ya know!

Happy Monday, everyone. ; )
----------------------------

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITARY CRIMES DIVISION
FBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001
DATE: 20/09/2009,
Website: washingtondc.fbi.gov

FUND BENEFICIARY

We have received a security report from the United Kingdom security unit to handle a case that is related to your winner’s fund which was abandon in the UK bank by you.

A report was lead that your abandon fund was claimed by an unknown person with the help of one of the bank workers, your winners fund was transferred to Africa by the impostors, which we send our delegate to go to Africa to apprehend them, with the information we receive from our delegate today, they have apprehended the people that Stole your winners fund to Africa, they have been handed over to the EFCC OF NIGERIA. And we have ordered the EFCC OF NIGERIA to send them back to the UK, so that we will hand them over to the appropriate authority in UK to bring them to justice, and it also come to our notice that some group of fraudulent people are contacting you, we need your help to apprehend all of them. Because they are a pest to the world at large.

If you are not informed, your e-mail address was among the e-mails that won this year promo award of UK National Lottery, that is the fund that was transferred to Africa , and it has been recovered.

We need your urgent responds so that we will tell you the proper agency to contact for your winners fund that has been recovered.

Yours Sincerely

Sign
FBI Director
Robert S. Mueller, III

Back to School...

Most of us are about to start classes very soon (if we haven't already started), so, I thought this video was appropriate. Good luck to all of our contributors and readers with the start of the fall semester!

The Economy & Academia

Yesterday's Talk of the Nation program featured a discussion of how the current economic crisis is affecting college and university campuses:

For the high school class of 2009 and students trying to complete a degree, the financial calamities of the market have left universities and students scrambling for money. In our occasional series, Your Life on a Recession, we look at how schools are adjusting to financial challenges.

Guests included NPR's education correspondent Claudio Sanchez, and president of Middlebury College (in VT) Ronald Liebowitz. I only got to hear snippets of this program in the car yesterday, so I was glad that I could listen to the entire conversation online. There was some good discussion of various recession-related issues in academia: increasing tuition fees, dwindling financial aid packages, and a growing reliance on part-time and adjunct faculty, among others.

In addition to creating significant challenges for students, both current and prospective, the recession also has adversely affected the academic job market this year, as I (and others) can sadly attest. It seems that many departments lost funding for advertised tenure-track faculty lines (in some cases even after candidates had begun interviewing), or did not hire at all due to hiring freezes.

Finally, questions remain about the status of educational funding in the economic-stimulus package currently being negotiated by Congress, as the Senate version "commits substantially less to state and local education programs than the $819 billion package approved by the House."

All this paints a pretty bleak picture for academia.* So, how has your department tightened its purse strings? Cut travel funding? Placed limits on faculty photocopying? What about at the university level? Are increased tuition costs and/or limited aid packages taking a toll on student enrollment? Have tenure-track searches been terminated? Finally, any predictions for the next few years?

*Though, academics are very fortunate compared to many other workers, especially those in the labor and manufacturing sectors.

Blerg

Blerg. Two manuscript rejections in one week. Nothing like the ol' one-two punch to fuel a gal's Impostor Syndrome, eh?

Now's the time for you all to reassure me that it's all about finding the right journals for my manuscripts, and that even the most brilliant scholars have had their work unceremoniously rejected, etc, etc...

P.S. The second rejection actually was a near miss at a tier-1 journal. My paper got one strongly positive review, one strongly negative review, and one mixed review that leaned toward an R&R. Ultimately it was the editor's call to reject it, which I respect. For my first submission to a top-tier journal (using qualitative data from my dissertation, no less), I'm actually pretty pleased at how my manuscript fared, even though it was ultimately rejected.

Money (Not So?) Funnies

Saw this on Scatterplot, via PhDComics, and had to share:

Only in America can a Terrorist Become a Distinguished Professor....

...at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. I knew this thug-terrorist Bill Ayers was a professor, but didn't realize at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Its just incredible to me how low academics will stoop to push a particular agenda. Any chances of an abortion clinic bomber becoming a distinguished professor? Hum, I am thinking pretty slim chance of that. Maybe Eric Rudolph should pursue his Ph.D. - I am sure top universities will be beating down his door.... Disgraceful.

Another Question for the Looney Left

This is a true story. As most of you know, I am, well, "exploring" the job market. I have made some proactive contacts with programs in the area to see what their hiring situation is. One VERY gracious individual agreed to meet with me for an informal discussion although they do not have a job posted. I think we hit it off - but then she said something QUITE interesting. She was explaining how and why she thought I could be a fit for her program. Then started to stammer a bit (boy do I get that), sort of looked side to side as if she would get hit by lightning, cautioned her next statement with this "Uh, I never thought I would be saying something like this but...." (always a good lead in to a statement) "You know, we really do need more men. Our department is nearly all women and it seems that we should have some representation from men."

Now, I was not bothered by the comment at all, and quite honestly, found her honesty a bit refreshing. But I have thought about this for a few weeks and don't know what to make of it. Strange position for someone of my, well, "demographic" to be in, eh? While I have always been intrigued about the idea of being hired for the "eye candy" factor (when I dream, I dream big), I am not sure if I like the sounds of this!!!!!

Thoughts?

The REAL ShockProf

Well, another professor has made news for inappropriate behavior. One might think that perhaps this is another plagairism incident, or a professor who has fudged data, or even a (GASP) inappropriate sexual relationship with a student. None of the above, I'm afraid.

This professor, a faculty member at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, became upset when his debate team received a low score. He ranted and raved, and then concluded by mooning the crowd. Of course, it ended up on YouTube (and thus begins your 15 minutes of fame, Dr. Shanahan!).

Now, I can certainly understand getting angry when things don't go your way. And while this isn't part of my personality, I can see how ranting, raving, and other generally unprofessional behavior might occur during an argument. But I'm a little stumped as to how the act of "dropping trou" gets out there in a moment of passion. Is this some male thing I don't understand? I thought mooning was something guys--OK, and girls too--did when they were drunk and stupid, not angry...

P.S. Whatever you do, do NOT search Google images for "mooning". You can't ever unsee that.

Minority Scholars

OK, I really I am setting myself up on this one but I have never let that stop me in the past. I am really curious about this and I honestly don't know how I feel. I happened to be on the ASC website today (rumor has it I might be on the job market soon....) and I see a link to "Directory of Minority Ph.D. Criminologists." Am I the only one who finds that a little bothersome? I am afraid the answer is yes....

Where is the line between being supportive and racists? This is a serious question, honestly.

Tips for Good Reviewing

This morning, the Chronicle covered a recent panel at the ASA meetings in Boston regarding the importance of peer review. Several suggestions were made to potential reviewers to improve the process (short of providing pay for review services, which I'm sure would improve them dramatically). They are:

1. Communicate clearly: avoid bulleted lists of strong & weak points. Present a thorough analysis of the paper instead.
2. Give careful thought about revisions: are the problems fixable?
3. Be civil: boy, have I ranted about this in the past. The one that still kills me: "This author obviously knows nothing about statistics." I suppose that means all of you to whom I have taught statistics know nothing as well. Sorry about that, guys.
4. Don't be selfish: I admit, I do look to see if the authors cite me if the topic is close to my own work. However, my own vanity won't have anything to do with whether it's a good paper. AND, if they don't cite me and they should have, I always include a list of recommended articles to review related to the topic. After all, I wouldn't want to be obvious about it...
5. Don't be lazy. This is something I wish more reviewers took under consideration. Of course, reviewing takes time. Of course, we aren't compensated for it. But--how will the quality of articles published improve if we don't take the time to help others? I read SO, SO, SO many bad articles--honestly, it can get rather depressing. When I'm writing those reviews, I always keep in mind that the manuscript may have been written by a student. Any and all helpful comments I can provide will only improve their work, as I hope those who read my work will also provide constructive comments.
   

And here's one of my own:

1. Check for plagiarism. You'd be suprised how many people recycle literature reviews (or sometimes entire manscripts). As I've written previously, some journals do routinely check for plagiarism, but most don't. I received an article to review last month (DAMN--gotta send that back) in the mail. Snail mail. A HARD COPY. Seriously, isn't everyone electronic these days? Obviously, that journal cannot check for plagiarism very easily, but you can! (http://www.articlechecker.com)

How about it? Anyone else have suggestions for reviewers?

2007 Journal Citation Reports Now Available

Earlier this month Thomson Reuters published the 2007 Journal Citation Reports, allowing academics to evaluate the relative influence of various journals in their field. Using data on article citations and journal readership, the JCR "provides a systematic, objective way to evaluate the world's leading journals and their impact and influence in the global research community." I've listed the top ten journals -- ranked according to impact factor -- for various social science disciplines below. The name of the journal is followed by the impact factor in parentheses. You can search for complete JCR rankings by discipline here, though this link may not function properly for those not using a university IP address.

CRIMINOLOGY/PENOLOGY
(Rank out of 29 journals)

1. Criminology (2.344)
2. Crime & Delinquency (1.796)
   
3. Criminal Justice & Behavior (1.672)
   
4. Sexual Abuse (1.643)
   
5. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (1.559)
   
6. British Journal of Criminology (1.296)
   
7. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency (1.294)
   
8. Journal of Quantitative Criminology (1.229)
   
9. Punishment & Society (1.189)
   
10. Journal of Interpersonal Violence (1.171)
    

SOCIOLOGY
(Rank out of 96 journals)

1. American Journal of Sociology (3.338)
   
2. American Sociological Review (3.277)
   
3. British Journal of Sociology (2.449)
   
4. Annual Review of Sociology (2.400)
   
5. Global Networks (1.886)
   
6. Sociology of Health & Illness (1.759)
   
7. Journal of Marriage & the Family (1.756)
   
8. Economy & Society (1.678)
   
9. Social Networks (1.644)
   
10. Social Problems (1.577)
    

WOMEN'S STUDIES
(Rank out of 28 journals)

1. Journal of Women's Health (1.522)
2. Gender & Society (1.400)
3. Women's Health Issues (1.338)
4. Psychology of Women Quarterly (1.253)
5. Gender, Work & Organization (1.185)
6. Violence Against Women (1.122)
7. Social Politics (0.972)
8. European Journal of Women's Studies (0.698)
9. Signs (0.671)
   
10. Sex Roles (0.652)

Discuss!

New UC-Irvine Study Finds "Quiet Desperation" Among Academic Women

From Inside Higher Ed:

A recent study exploring gender equity and discrimination in academia -- purportedly the largest qualitative study of its kind --finds "quiet desperation" among academic women:

Interviews with 80 female faculty members at a research university — the largest qualitative study of its kind — have found that many women in careers are deeply frustrated by a system that they believe undervalues their work and denies them opportunities for a balanced life. While the study found some overt discrimination in the form of harassment or explicitly sexist remarks, many of the concerns involved more subtle “deeply entrenched inequities.”

Of course, finding evidence of sex/gender discrimination in academia is hardly revelatory, but the specific themes through which the respondents experienced (or perceived) inequities may indeed offer new insights, providing what the author calls "a more nuanced perspective on discrimination and gender equity". They are:

• Subtle institutional and cultural patterns of discrimination
• Gender devaluation and holding positions of power
• Service is for women
• Perceptions of overt discrimination
• Career, family, and need for alternative models of professional success
  

Interestingly, the study (full text available here; abstract available here), conducted by UCI Political Science professor Kristen Monroe, was criticized by UCI administration upon its release:

Asked for a reaction to the study, Irvine released a statement criticizing it. “Professor Monroe’s article draws attention to the persistence and toll of sex discrimination on women faculty. Unfortunately, the article cannot to be said to offer original insight into the promise and challenge of gender equity in higher education. The formulation of the problem overlooks research in a host of related issues, such as gender schemas, work-life balance, and leadership development among others,” the statement said.

However, Monroe notes that "many of the concerns expressed in the study didn’t have to do with official policies or programs, but with more subtle questions."

New Book About Moms in Academia

Those of you who liked the "Ph.D. Mom" buttons I wrote about a while back may be interested in reading a new book about motherhood in academia called Mama, Ph.D. A description of this collection of essays is here:

Mama, Ph.D. is a literary anthology of deeply-felt personal narratives by smart, interesting women both in and out of the academy, writing about their experiences attempting to reconcile bodies with brains. This anthology voices stories of academic women choosing to have, not have, or delay children. The essays in this anthology will speak to and offer support for any woman attempting to combine work and family, and will make recommendations on how to make the academy a more family-friendly workplace.

Inside Higher Ed also has a Mama, Ph.D. blog -- click on this link or on the "Inside Higher Ed Blogs" link on the sidebar for more info.