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School's out for the winter
Today was my last day of teaching for this term. (Canadian terms are 14 weeks, so we generally end earlier than US universities.) So, as I settled down to get some stuff done, I opened my "things to do this semester" file that I wrote up in September to see, well, if I've managed to do anything on the list. When I saw what was on it, my first response was to laugh and laugh and laugh with maybe a little crying. But on clearer reflection, it's not so bad. Here, for your amusement, are my results.
So the total is not that bad, I suppose. Not on this list but still relevant is the paper I presented this past weekend at a workshop, which wasn't new material but was a new presentation (in fact, of the one new chapter I'm writing for my book--so this was a good time to try to work it out coherently). Nor was the roundtable I and a friend are organizing for next year's APSA, which has taken a lot of email time, nor is that special issue that came out of the conference I mentioned. So this looks like I might just barely have been productive this semester, on balance.
One of the speakers at the new faculty orientation in August said, "look, just admit now you aren't getting any research done this year." That does seem to be my trendline. However, I have also learned that if I can carve out time when I don't need to be meeting student needs (and defend it against my desire to be The Most Available Teacher Who Is Always Helpful), I can definitely get writing done.
In any case, I don't get any grading turned in until Dec 11, so between now and then? I can totally write two syllabi, two revised book chapters, and plan the five articles I want to write next semester. Right?
Right?
| Category | Thing | Comments from the other side |
| Teaching | "Teach everything. All the things." | I did, in fact, teach all the things. |
| Advising | "Work with [MA candidate]" | Said candidate is doing well! She drafted a proposal! Said proposal is being edited! I have hopes! |
| Research | "Map Arab orgs in Ottawa, elsewhere in Canada" | lolnope. Not a thing has been done on this. Luckily, this is relevant to my research assistant's MA proposal that he'll be writing next term, so perhaps I can get some double duty out of him. |
| Research | "Analysis of tweets on #muslimcandyheartrejects" | The coding was completed between me and my RA; this took a couple of versions, so I haven't run the preliminary stats yet or started working on the discourse analysis bits. We're planning on co-writing the article coming out of this analysis (of a very funny twitter hashtag and the way humor and politics intersect and construct identities) next term. |
| Research | "Auctions: pick long-form coding, design system, code all of it; essay for symposium?" | Sadly, little has happened on the fandom auctions research project front, because both my co-author and I have been busy. Bump that one to next term... |
| Research | "Lots of reading on politics and socialization online" | Define lots. And define whether "reading" includes "downloading articles with interesting abstracts and putting them in the "to-read" folder. Because if so, definitely. |
| Research | "Lots of reading on expat voting" | My library due date is 13 December. I've got 11 days left. PLENTY of time. |
| Writing | "Write paper for Borders conference: Sep 20" | This did in fact occur, if not by Sep 20. It was well received at the conference, and I and a few other conference goers are trying to organize some of our papers into a special issue on the topic we share. So, success! |
| Writing | "Write interview/essay for [academic friend]'s book: Sep 30" | Again, done, if not by Sep 30. I'm hoping the process with its publication will go smoothly, and, in any case, the data I gathered for it is really relevant to other writing I'm doing. |
| Writing | "Finish book revisions: Oct 15" | lololol you are funny, to-do list, I find you very very funny. No, seriously, I have made progress on this, if not as quickly as I've wanted, and January 15 for having a completed draft seems plausible, if not guaranteed. But it's slow. Did you know a dissertation introduction and a book introduction are very different creatures? I do now. |
| Writing | "Expat voting paper: Dec 1" | Sigh. No progress got made in taking this from conference paper to article, which makes me sad. This is definitely #1 priority for next semester. |
So the total is not that bad, I suppose. Not on this list but still relevant is the paper I presented this past weekend at a workshop, which wasn't new material but was a new presentation (in fact, of the one new chapter I'm writing for my book--so this was a good time to try to work it out coherently). Nor was the roundtable I and a friend are organizing for next year's APSA, which has taken a lot of email time, nor is that special issue that came out of the conference I mentioned. So this looks like I might just barely have been productive this semester, on balance.
One of the speakers at the new faculty orientation in August said, "look, just admit now you aren't getting any research done this year." That does seem to be my trendline. However, I have also learned that if I can carve out time when I don't need to be meeting student needs (and defend it against my desire to be The Most Available Teacher Who Is Always Helpful), I can definitely get writing done.
In any case, I don't get any grading turned in until Dec 11, so between now and then? I can totally write two syllabi, two revised book chapters, and plan the five articles I want to write next semester. Right?
Right?
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-J
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