Last night, while browsing #AcademicTwitter, I came across a heart-breaking post from Dr Claudia Schwarz-Plaschg, recounting her horrific experiences in the #HarvardSTS program lead by one of the ‘greats’ of the Science & Technology Studies (STS) field. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. I link her tweet below; it’s gratifying toContinue reading “I stand with Claudia.”
Tag Archives: academia
Guess who’s back?
Well, Bonnie Charlie is gone for sure, but you lucky folks get ME! [after yet another unplanned hiatus – sorry] Part of the reason for that hiatus has been The Summer and The Aftermath of The Summer. In short, I went to a really cool conference, reconnected with a group of amazing scholars, and gotContinue reading “Guess who’s back?”
Why Write a Book Review?
Some thoughts on improving your publication record. In about October last year (2021), I was discussing my dismal employment situation with an older colleague and friend. I explained that I knew I was being passed over for opportunities because my publication record was very poor – I had one paper published, and two stuck inContinue reading “Why Write a Book Review?”
Phew! Paper Published.
Roughly a year ago, I embarked upon the ‘Way of Wendy’ – I used Wendy Belcher’s magic 12-week programme to help me draft and write my very first single-author paper, based on material from my thesis. Now, I’m on the other side of that process: the paper I started in January 2021 has just beenContinue reading “Phew! Paper Published.”
How to PhD: Guest Post by Nathan Bossoh
When I finished my undergraduate degree in music performance back in 2014 I was sure that I was done with University. Three years living and studying in Guildford (UK) was great and all but the thought of being a “student” again was quite horrifying. I was now a fully-fledged adult, free from the shackles ofContinue reading “How to PhD: Guest Post by Nathan Bossoh”
Democratization of knowledge and accessible writing practices
Recently, I shared a draft of my current manuscript with my father. He’d been asking for ages when I’d be done with my revisions, and I just wanted him to see what the peer review process was like. I wasn’t really intending for him to assess it critically, but that is what naturally happened. IContinue reading “Democratization of knowledge and accessible writing practices”
Pleased to make your acquaintance: making and maintaining contacts is vital for momentum
As an introverted person I have always found the ‘networking’ aspects of conferences and symposia* to be draining and sometimes downright traumatic. But recently I have had some reminders of why it is so very important to make yourself do it.
Vestigial Superstitions? Thoughts on the rejection of religion in modern thought
I am currently in the process of preparing a paper for submission to a religious studies journal. The preparatory reading has, inevitably, resulted in THOUGHTS, and I have decided to bless you all with a little treatise rant on why modern scholarship has erred in its general rejection of religion and theology. Firstly, a clarificationContinue reading “Vestigial Superstitions? Thoughts on the rejection of religion in modern thought”
What kind of writer? Spree writing, metrics and the myth of productivity
I once was in a seminar which started with the typical ‘what do you do and how do you do it’ academic icebreaker. One participant’s witty and self-deprecating contribution went as follows: “I’m a philosopher. That means I read books and think about them. Sometimes I write about it.” Any academic in the social andContinue reading “What kind of writer? Spree writing, metrics and the myth of productivity”
Pipped to the post – and thoroughly glad about it
What is your contribution to knowledge? This question haunted me and probably haunts any academic when contemplating their own research and scholarship. We are all aware that although there is undoubtedly value in scholarship which corroborates previous discoveries or arguments, the real clincher is what’s new and different. What is your unique contribution to theContinue reading “Pipped to the post – and thoroughly glad about it”
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