Episode 20 – Get Out of the Fight: Home Life in a Pandemic

Karen insisted that we watch The Chair, and insisted we devote a podcast episode to it. So here it is. At this point in time there are no more “hot” takes to be had, so in this episode we offer our tepid takes.  Even so, there is a lot to say. Karen and Kel talk the many painful accuracies of the show: the terror of senior faculty in the face of threats to their power; the overt and covert racism directed at Yaz, the sole Black faculty member; the puritanical dress code and terrible hair; cost-cutting as the department Chair’s #1 job; the Dean’s relentless gaslighting; liability avoidance as the university mission. We note in particular Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s point that Yaz is the only character with no interiority – she is rendered as a plot device and never shown, in contrast to all the other main characters, outside a narrow work setting. We have quibbles, inevitably: this Chair could not have been as naive as she was written; no tenured white male professor ever loses his job over racism; and it’s honestly doubtful this Chair would have thrown away her position for a man, least of all this man. Also: are we to believe Yaz turns down Yale to stay at Pembroke? Puleeze. But overall: wow. And suffice to say, as a former Chair of a humanities department, Karen came out of the series fairly traumatized. ...

Recorded before the coup, this episode delves into practical advice about interviewing. Mostly focusing on academic jobs, but with insights for interviews more generally, Karen and Kel remind you: the job search is not about you. It’s about the hiring party, the problem they have, and the warm body they need to solve their problem. This is so whether the job is a Harvard endowed chair or a Starbucks barista. We talk the special challenges of Zoom interviews as well. (This episode also features new intro music. Tell us what you think!) [Become a subscribing member for just $3.99 a month and get access to our subscriber only goodies like free webinar recordings, AMAs, the chance to suggest topics, access to the podcast video from our house in Oregon, and — new from this week – live videos with Karen and Kel on Friday mornings, all on our dedicated podcast member page on Mighty Networks!] ...

The academy despises the IDEA of self-promotion while rewarding those who do it in properly academic ways. This is just one of the many classist elements of academia. Those who decide to leave the academy need to face and overcome the shaming around self-promotion. In this episode, Karen and Kel tell you how, with special attention to LinkedIn. We get it, it feels yucky at first. But LinkedIn is no different than your academic cover letter–it puts your skills and aptitudes out there, for potential employers. Don’t hesitate to use it, and more importantly, don’t allow yourself to be stymied and quelled by elitist academic value judgments – others’ and your own. ...