Suggests that working beyond the academy should be understood not as an abandonment of the academic job market, a response to failure, or a curse: instead, it should be understood as a new avenue for intellectual work, one that neither graduate-school programs nor the Modern Language Association would be wise to ignore. (RS)

Personal account of the trying but finally successful nonacademic job search of a recipient of a doctorate in English. (DF)

Describes the experiences of a dramaturge (who researchers a play's history and themes and presents that information in educational contexts) who worked at a professional theatre. Notes that the job offered her the opportunity to do research, teach, and even publish. Suggests that her experiences as a dramaturge enhanced her skills as a teacher,…

Calls for college English faculty to embrace the challenge of a diversity that includes nonelite institutions. Suggests that graduate students in English who find themselves in nonelite undergraduate institutions teaching mostly nonmajors will have to learn a second language: the language of accommodation. (RS)

Suggests that the crisis of authority in the discipline of English is mirrored in the crisis of audience in the job market. Argues that the job market, the politics of national accreditation, the controversy surrounding standards, and the fickleness of funding at all levels are driving English departments to mediate on questions of scholarship and…

Examines the reason for the tight job market for full-time positions in English departments, suggesting that the blame lies with the departments themselves in that they hire part-time or adjunct faculty to do most of the teaching. (TB)

Describes the protocol surrounding the job search process at the Modern Language Association (MLA) as a means of maximizing the chances that a candidate will find it comfortable, civil and fair. (TB)

Suggests that English departments have seen their power to shape the identity of their members diminish. Argues that an important part of the preparation of future professors takes place in a master-apprentice setting strengthened by an economic atmosphere that encourages students fearful of getting jobs to identify with those faculty members…

Suggests that when applying for graduate school, students should begin with careful research, including talking with faculty members and counselors at their undergraduate institutions; then speak to faculty members and students at the schools under serious consideration. Discusses the degree program and the expectations. Considers employment and…

Outlines two major problems facing English department administrators in their attempts to hire adequate new faculty: (1) reduced institutional resources; and (2) the complex problems connected with faculty retirements. Suggests methods by which administrators can best cope with limited hiring opportunities. (HB)

Notes that the hopeful threads binding Herman Melville's book "The Confidence-Man" also weave a valuable lesson for literature PhDs considering their career options. Suggests that the values crucial to a teacher or scholar are also crucial to those who work outside the university: willingness to entertain other points of view and an…

Presents statistical data dealing with: number of positions listed, definite tenure-track assistant professor positions, number of doctorate recipients in English and Foreign Languages, institutions granting an average of 10 or more doctorates in English and American Literature annually. Presents tables with positions listed by field…

Examines the relationship between the Ph.D. job market, the social and political marginalization of literary criticism, and the movement toward preprofessionalism and politicization of literary studies among graduate students. Suggests that the poor market has led graduate students toward hyperpoliticization and hyperprofessionalism. (TB)

Discusses the "latest forecast" for the future of English departments. Addresses departmental and institutional staffing practices, employment opportunities for PhDs, the acceleration of change in the institution, and the general state of the study and teaching of English. (RS)

Attempts to make effects of fiscal constraints better understood in the hope of finding optimal solutions to critical difficulties faced by academic institutions. Suggests a new emphasis in graduate training on teaching. Points toward ideal changes in the structure of higher education but attempts to keep recommendations practical. Discusses the…