A clarification: there is a difference between adjunct and graduate
teaching positions. Adjunct faculty are (usually) practitioners in their
field and/or have completed graduate work. Graduate students are often
hired to teach classes and receive benefits and tuition compensation in
addition to a small salary.
It is true adjunct positions are underpaid and under-appreciated. However,
every adjunct has the option to ask for more compensation and to decline an
offer to look for other work. Adjuncts may seek these positions to
supplement other income, or because they may only want part-time work.
There are additional benefits to the association with an institution that
should not be overlooked: research and learning opportunities, networking,
and the notch on one's CV/resume.
Anna
On Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 5:02 PM, Emma Fisher <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Thanks for forwarding, Ben. Interesting (as well as depressing!) to read.
>
> One point noted in Sarah's article is the inaccessibility of academic
> literature within America, which I suspect is common in many other
> countries.
>
> It will be interesting to see if the British government's recent decision
> to make publicly funded research available to the general public has much
> impact on the way research is published, accessed and utilised around the
> world. (See
> http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2012/Jul/government-to-open-up-public
> ly-funded-research for more info on their plans).
>
> Emma
>
>
> ---
> Emma Fisher, BA
> PhD Candidate
>
> Faculty of Design
> Swinburne University of Technology
> Melbourne, Australia
> www.swinburne.edu.au/design
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 23/08/12 1:05 AM, "ben jonson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >The headline 'The closing of American academia - The plight of adjunct
> >professors highlights the end of higher education as a means to
> >prosperity', is from an online article by US anthropologist Sarah
> >Kendzior who recently received her PhD from Washington University in St
> >Louis.
> >Quote from the article:
> >'Below poverty line
> >In most professions, salaries below the poverty line would be cause for
> >alarm. In academia, they are treated as a source of gratitude.
> >Volunteerism is par for the course - literally. Teaching is touted as a
> >"calling", with compensation an afterthought. One American research
> >university offers its PhD students a salary of $1000 per semester for the
> >"opportunity" to design and teach a course for undergraduates, who are
> >each paying about $50,000 in tuition. The university calls this position
> >"Senior Teaching Assistant" because paying an instructor so far below
> >minimum wage is probably illegal.'
> >Although the article highlights US adjuncts conditions in the field of
> >anthropology it might be of interest to a wider academic audience,
> >including members of PHD-DESIGN list.
> >The full article:
> >http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/2012820102749246453.html
> >(accessed August 22, 2012)
> >BJ
>
--
Anna Carlson
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