Monthly Archives: February 2010

Considering going on to PhD

There has been a lot of discussion of the value of a humanities PhD. Thomas Benton’s An Academic In America columns in the Chronicle of Higher Education have made the case against particularly strongly. In her reply to Benton’s most recent … Continue reading

Posted in Career Planning | 1 Comment

Writing a Research Statement Part I

Even if you aren’t applying for a job, you might find this exercise helpful. Think of it like zooming out when you are looking at an online map — sometimes it helps to see your current project in relation to a wider body of research. Getting this kind of perspective can then focus your activities so you get more done, help you write better grant proposals, and figure out which conferences and other networking activities are really worthwhile. Continue reading

Posted in Career Planning, Research | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Where do I start with doctoral fellowship applications?

I received the following question from a reader that I thought would be of interest to a wider audience. My MA is completing end of August this year, and I plan to go on to PhD.  My department has recommended … Continue reading

Posted in Funding | Tagged | 1 Comment

On not being competitive

I have not a competitive bone in my body. When I play (recreational) sports, I don’t even know the score most of the time. People who are competitive find this odd. They wonder how I get motivated to play well … Continue reading

Posted in Work Habits | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Impact, Interdisicplinarity, and Publication Strategies

In May 2009 I did a talk in the Career Corner at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The nice people from University Affairs videoed it and have now posted the video, nicely edited into short chunks, on … Continue reading

Posted in Knowledge Transfer, publishing | Tagged , , | Comments Off