American Anthropological Association

During this week there has been quite the conversation about adjuncts and their working conditions in the press. These articles have lead to further conversation in the blogosphere in regards anthropology adjuncts and anthropology in academia in general.  Here is a round up of the conversations:

Articles:

The Adjunct Scramble by Kaustuv Basu in Inside Higher Ed

How Universities Treat Adjuncts Limits Their Effectiveness in the Classroom, Report Says by Audrey Williams June in The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Closing of American Academia by Sarah Kendzior in Al Jazeera

Blog posts:

Less Than Zero Anthropology by Eliza Jane Darling on Zero Anthropology

Anthropology is the worst college major for being a corporate tool, best major to change your life by Jason Antrosio on Living Anthropologically

Anthropology minus one and counting and Academia, closed by Ryan Anderson on Savage Minds

From the conversations, there seems to two camps. One with a negative future on academia in general and the success of students pursuing a career in academia. The other with a positive outlook on the field of anthropology due to its versatility and broad scope of skills the discipline can provide; however, also recognizing that adjunct positions are challenging.

Is academia “less than zero” like Darling suggests?  Is academia what we make of it as Anderson suggests? Is academia in need of change in order to meet the needs of underemployed graduates as Antrosio suggests? Or perhaps a bit of them all?

Filed under: Anthro in the Media, Commentary | Tagged: Al Jazeera, anthropology in academia, Audrey Williams, Eliza Jane Darling, Inside Higher Ed, Jason Antrosio, Kaustuv Basu, Living Anthropologically, Ryan Anderson, Sarah Kendzior, Savage Minds, The Chronicle of Higher Education, underemployment, Zero Anthropology | 11 Comments »