PhDivas

"YOU'RE the professor?!" What happens after the first day of teaching through to tenure and full professorship on top of positions as a program director and department chair? We talk to Xine Yao's Cornell PhD adviser Shirley Samuels about her 30+ year career journey as an acclaimed scholar of American literature, feminism, and visual culture. Shirley gives us her view of changes in the profession as a whole as well as the continued relevance of American studies as politics and education come together. Liz and Xine ask how do you advise graduate students given the current academic job market? How do we make our disciplines matter in the neoliberal university and translate our work into public visibility? How do we approach the power of America's founding myths? Topics include class differences, fostering community, and students asking "YOU'RE the professor?!" The work-life balance question is a cliche for professional women, so what about imbalance? Choose your battles! Survive and try to be happy. Many thanks to Shirley Samuels for her generosity and time! She is active on Twitter as @SRSamuels and you can learn more about her work here: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/srs8/