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The Academic's Handbook

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This new, revised, and expanded edition of the popular Academic’s Handbook is an essential guide for those planning or beginning an academic career. Faculty members, administrators, and professionals with experience at all levels of higher education offer candid, practical advice to help beginning academics understand matters
— The different kinds of institutions of higher learning and expectations of faculty at each.
— The advantages and disadvantages of teaching at four-year colleges instead of research universities.
— The ins and outs of the job market.
— Alternatives to tenure-track, research-oriented positions.
— Salary and benefits.
— The tenure system.
— Pedagogy in both large lecture courses and small, discussion-based seminars.
— The difficulties facing women and minorities within academia.
— Corporations, foundations, and the federal government as potential sources of research funds.
— The challenges of faculty mentoring.
— The impact of technology on contemporary teaching and learning.
— Different types of publishers and the publishing process at university presses.
— The modern research library.
— The structure of university governance.
— The role of departments within the university. With the inclusion of eight new chapters, this edition of The Academic’s Handbook is designed to ease the transition from graduate school to a well-rounded and rewarding career. Contributors. Judith K. Argon, Louis J. Budd, Ronald R. Butters, Norman L. Christensen, Joel Colton, Paul L. Conway, John G. Cross, Fred E. Crossland, Cathy N. Davidson, A. Leigh DeNeef, Beth A. Eastlick, Matthew W. Finkin, Jerry G. Gaff, Edie N. Goldenberg, Craufurd D. Goodwin, Stanley M. Hauerwas, Deborah L. Jakubs, L. Gregory Jones, Nellie Y. McKay, Patrick M. Murphy, Elizabeth Studley Nathans, A. Kenneth Pye, Zachary B. Robbins, Anne Firor Scott, Sudhir Shetty, Samuel Schuman, Philip Stewart, Boyd R. Strain, Emily Toth, P. Aarne Vesilind, Judith S. White, Henry M. Wilbur, Ken Wissoker

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

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About the author

A. Leigh Deneef

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Carrie.
264 reviews44 followers
August 17, 2009
Very useful guide to all things academic. Thanks Stephanie!! Everything you need to know about publishing, tenure, academic life, etc. Will definitely be revisiting info on how to write a book proposal, turn diss into a book, etc.

A couple of chapters are a little, well, creepy, namely the one about women in the academy, which basically says "have no personality, dress frumpy, smile and nod and expect to get treated like total crap until you get tenure." The author softens the blow near the end as says that things have, finally, started to change, although not perhaps quite as much as you'd like to think.

I appreciate that the book is honest and doesn't try to overly sugarcoat the internal politics that rage because, as they say, the stakes are so low. Very useful. Although at times it just makes you want to shake your head at how seriously so many with letters behind their name take themselves. Oy.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
429 reviews
September 5, 2007
This collection of readings was so helpful to me, even as a graduate student. I used selections from this book when I constructed a class for teaching assistants. Topics covered include academic freedom and free speech, getting a job, the art of publishing, and discussion vs. lecture courses. Absolutely indispensable reading for the academic.
32 reviews4 followers
August 21, 2012
This book was fabulous. I absolutely recommend it for anyone who is planning to go into academia or who is a young professor. Yes, there are some dry parts and topics that don't apply to everyone, but it is very insightful overall.
Profile Image for Dez.
30 reviews2 followers
February 11, 2013
This is an excellent resource for grad students. Good information on job searches, publishing, interviewing, and also what to expect when you become a professor. It tends to focus on obtaining a job in a research university, but there are sons good chapters on teaching focused jobs.
Profile Image for Katherine.
498 reviews
September 9, 2011
A good overview of academia. There were many topics that I had never thought about before and I found some of the chapters thought provoking.
61 reviews
July 12, 2013
Not a guidebook of job searching for the academic, but a good collection of essays and discussionsfor the academic.
Profile Image for Gerry.
370 reviews6 followers
April 25, 2021
An indispensable guide for anyone thinking of embarking on an academic career in the United States or indeed progressing through one
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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