Traveling through the Boondocks: In and Out of Academic Hierarchy - Softcover

Caesar, Terry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791446603 ISBN 13: 9780791446607

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2000

Synopsis

Wry and honest essays on the everyday conditions of professional life at a "second-rate" university, with implications for our understanding of higher education in general.

What is it like to be a faculty member at a university in the United States that enjoys no reputation or distinction? Traveling through the Boondocks discusses this situation not from the top down but from the bottom up, where the experience of exclusion ranges from that of departments where scholarship gets to count in hiring decisions to conferences where only individuals from elite institutions get to appear on stage. This book reinvigorates our understanding of higher education by illuminating the everyday conditions under which academics work and the hierarchical distinctions in which they are always embedded.

About this title

About the Author

Before taking a position as Senior Professor of American Literature at Japan's Mukogawa Women's University, Terry Caesar was Professor of English at Clarion University. He is the author of several books, including Conspiring with Forms: Life in Academic Texts, and Writing in Disguise: Academic Life in Subordination.

Reviews

Caesar's (Writing in Disguise) look at his life at a "second-rate university" in Pennsylvania comes straight from the "I don't get no respect" department. He examines the world of academics as he sees itDand his view is quite different from most. As he tackles subjects such as hiring practices, institutional affiliations, and sabbaticals, Caesar reveals a wry humor but at times comes off sounding like an egotistical, whining, spoiled brat. Yes, certain universities can be pompous and elitist, looking down on those who don't measure up to their standards. And certain academic rituals and procedures may seem outlandish or outdated. But such is life. Unless one actually intends to change things, one should accept themDand in this book, Ceasar says little that could bring about change. He seems far more interested in decrying the overall arrogance of academia. The high price and limited appeal make this a marginal purchase.DTerry Christner, Hutchinson P.L., KS
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0791446603
• ISBN 13: 9780791446607
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 211