The Academic Life cover image

The Academic Life

Latest episodes

undefined
Nov 12, 2020 • 49min

Should I Quit My Ph.D. Program?

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our own mentor networks to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter : The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: what happens when graduate school doesn’t go as you’d planned, and what happens to your degree and your career if you leave school before you complete your PhD.Our guest is: Rev. Rebecca Duke-Barton, a United Methodist pastor. She has a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, and was A.B.D. at Emory University before leaving the program. She has taught at Andrew College, and served as pastor in four United Methodist Churches. She also serves as president of the Georgia United Methodist Commission on Higher Education & Collegiate Ministry.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian. She specializes in diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She credits her ability to read nearly-illegible things to her childhood spent trying read her dad’s handwriting. In high school she was trained in peer mentor programs; as an undergrad she worked in her campus Writing Center; while pursuing her Ph.D. she developed and ran a Mentor Program for graduate students. She met Rev. Rebecca Duke-Barton when they were both graduate students, and they’ve been friends ever since. Christina supports her work-life balance by taking photos in nature, which you can find at here.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown CareerShifters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 60min

Getting an MFA and Memoir Writing

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter : The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about putting your personal story onto the page, choosing between fiction and memoir to find your story’s true voice, getting an MFA, the importance of having a good mentor, navigating the stories of others that intersect yours, creating beauty out of trauma, grief, BLM, and a discussion of the book The Names of All the Flowers.Our guest is: Melissa Valentine, author of The Names of All the Flowers. She is a writer from Oakland, CA. She earned her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MFA in creative writing from Mills College. She has been a fellow at the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, and her work has appeared in Jezebel, Guernica, Apogee Journal, and others. Her writing has received honorable mention from Glimmer Train, and the Ardella Mills Non-fiction Award. She works as an editor, and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat The Purpose of Power by Alicia Garza Dust Tracks On a Road by Zora Neale Hurston Soldier by June Jordan Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward "How Racism Makes Us Sick" [TedTalk] "How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across A Lifetime" [TedTalk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 14min

Sexuality on Evangelical Campuses: A Conversation with Dana M. Malone

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: dating, sex and single students on evangelical campuses, and a discussion of the book From Single to Serious.Our guest is: Dr. Dana M. Malone. She a higher ed scholar and practitioner energized by facilitating meaningful learning experiences for students and educators alike. Currently an Independent Scholar, she writes, teaches, and works with institutions on a contract basis. Her specialty areas include student cultures, the intersection of gender, intimate relationships, and religious identities as well as student success, assessment planning, and program evaluation. She’s the co-host of The Academic Life channel on New Books Network. She supports her work-life balance by making delicious healthy foods, spending time at the Jersey Shore, and doing yoga.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She met Dana Malone when she interviewed her for the NBN Gender Channel about her new book From Single to Serious. They stayed in touch after the interview, and over the following weeks worked together to develop and launch The Academic Life channel for NBN. They have been friends and TAL co-hosts ever since. Christina supports her work-life balance with long daily walks, and her love of photography, which you can find on Getty Images/iStock, and in galleries, and here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 21min

How to Deal With Structural Inequality in Academia

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you’re not an island, and neither are we. So, we are reaching across our own contacts – and beyond - to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Want to hear a particular expert or topic? Email your ideas to cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com or DM us on Twitter @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode, you’ll hear: a discussion of the book Presumed Incompetent and Presumed Incompetent II; the intersecting roles of race, gender and class for academic women of color; structural inequalities; and the barriers to being hired and getting tenure.Our guests are: Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann, who is the Interim Chair and Professor of the Department of Psychology at University of North Texas. And Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, who is the Theilene Pigott McCone Chair for the Humanities and professor of modern languages and women studies in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at Seattle University. They are co-editors of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia, and of Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender and sexuality.Listeners to this episode may also be interested in: Barlow, F. K. and Sibley, C.G. The Cambridge Handbook of The Psychology of Prejudice, Concise Student Edition. Boyd, Beth, Caraway, S. Jean, Niemann, Yolanda Flores, Eds. Surviving and Thriving in Academia: A Guide for Members of Marginalized Groups. Caroline Kieu-Linh Valverde. "Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 12 : Iss. 2 , Article 5. Niemann, Y.F., & Carter, C. Microaggressions in the Classroom. Njie-Carr, V. P. S. Niemann, Y.F., & Sharps, P. W. Eds. Disparities in the Academy: Accounting for the Elephant. Kimberly D. McKee and Denise A. Delgado, Eds. Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School. Kerry Ann Rockemore and Tracey Laszloffy, Eds. The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure-Without Losing Your Soul. Takaki, R. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Revised Edition). Vest, Jennifer Lisa. "What Doesn't Kill You: Existential Luck, Postracial Racism, and The Subtle and Not So Subtle Ways the Academy Keeps Women of Color Out," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 12 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 2min

Research, Whiteness, and Campus Monuments

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about getting an MFA in nonfiction, conducting research for your book, confronting your privilege, the fight to remove a campus monument, and a discussion of the book Down Along With That Devil’s Bones.Our guest is: Connor Towne O’Neill, the author of Down Along With That Devil’s Bones. He is a graduate of Vassar College, and earned an MFA from the University of Alabama. He teaches at Auburn University, and is a producer on the NPR podcast White Lies.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century, and is the co-creator of The Academic Life podcast series on New Books Network.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward Baptist Race and Reunion by David Blight “Applying Critical Race and Memory Studies to University Place Naming Controversies: Toward a Responsible Landscape Policy” by Jordan Brasher, Derek Alderman, and Joshua Inwood “Landscape Fairness: Removing Discrimination from the Built Environment” by Stephen Clowney White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo Memorial Mania by Erika Doss Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates Nathan Bedford Forrest by Jack Hurst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 6min

On Writing Well: Feminist Biography-A Conversation with Anya Jabour

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: finding elusive primary resources, following the intersections of women’s lives, how to write biography, what to do with the research you can’t fit in your book, and a discussion of the book Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America.Our guest is: Anya Jabour, Regents Professor of History at the University of Montana. Her books include Topsy-Turvy: How the Civil War Turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children and Scarlett's Sisters: Young Women in the Old South. She is the author of Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America.Your host is: Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She’s run mentor programs, worked in museum education, evaluated history grants for government funded education programs, and taught writing and women’s history. She also decodes the diaries left behind by 19th century New England farm women. She is the co-producer of the Academic Life channel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 8min

The Detective Work of Research: A Conversation with Polly E. Bugros McLean

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: how doing research is like being a detective; when you have to get off the internet and go do field work; why the person known as “the first” usually wasn’t the first; and a discussion of the book Remembering Lucille.Our guest is: Polly E. Bugros McLean, associate professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she has served as director of Women and Gender Studies and as the faculty associate to the Chancellor. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Chancellor’s Committee on Women Award, the Chancellor’s Equity and Excellence Award, Robert L. Stearns Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award for teaching excellence, and the Best Should Teach Gold Award. In 1999 and 2000 she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to the University of Namibia. She is the author of Remembering Lucille.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She reinterprets the historical narrative in both traditional and creative forms. She finds meaning in her personal life, her research, and in nature. She supports her work-life balance with long walks and her photography, which you can find here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 8min

Gender Bias in the Study of Science

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: studying the brain, women in STEM, your inner limiter, gender bias in the scientific method, and a discussion of the book Gender and The Brain.Our guest is: Gina Rippon, author of Gender and Your Brain. She is a British neuroscientist, feminist, and an honorary professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University in Birmingham, England. In 2015 she was made honorary fellow of the British Science Association. Rippon has also sat on the editorial board of the International Journal of Psychophysiology, and is a member of the European Union Gender Equality Network, belongs to WISE and ScienceGrrl, and the Inspiring the Future initiative.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She seeks the extraordinary in the ordinary, writes poems about small relatable moments, and takes many photos in nature.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: Blakemore, S.J. Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain. Hines, M. Brain Gender. Jarrett, C. Great Myths of the Brain. Joel, D. and Vikhanski, L. Gender Mosaic: Beyond the Myth of the Female Brain. Matthew D. Lieberman. Social: Why Our Brain are Wired to Connect. Mitchell, K.J. Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are. Rippon, G 2019. TedX talk: A Gendered World Makes a Gendered Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s1hrHppl5E Schiebinger, L. The Mind Has No Sex?: Women in the Origins of Modern Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 3min

On Writing Well: Really Personal Essays-A Conversation with Rebekah Taussig

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about writing personal essays both online and in print, disability as a constructed cultural barrier, and a discussion of the book Sitting Pretty [a collection of personal essays].Our guest is: Rebekah Taussig, the author of Sitting Pretty. She is a Kansas City writer and a teacher. She earned a PhD in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies from the University of Kansas. She is interested in the powerful connection between the cultural narratives we tell and the world we live in, from physical spaces and economic opportunities to social roles and interpersonal relationships. She writes personal essays that participate in the stories being told about disability.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She credits her ability to read nearly-illegible things to a childhood spent trying read her dad’s handwriting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
undefined
Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 10min

How to Help Girls Achieve

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: the persistent lack of equality in educational access, why feminist schools are necessary, and a discussion of the book How Girls Achieve.Our guest is: Sally A. Nuamah, the author of How Girls Achieve. She is a scholar, activist, and filmmaker. She has received numerous awards, including the Gates Millennium scholarship and the Black Women Organized for Political Action’s Under 40 Award in Education, and was selected a Change-Maker by the White House. She began the TWII Foundation to provide funding for girls striving to be first in their families to go to college. She was named a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University and a Women and Public Policy fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is currently Assistant Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.Listeners to this episode might be interested in: What works by Iris Bohnet Teaching Girls: How Teachers and Parents Can Reach Their Brains and Hearts, by P. K. Kuriloff, S. H. Andrus, and C. E. Jacobs We Want to do More than Survive by Bettina Love Push Out by Monique Morris How Girls Achieve by Sally Nuamah HerStory, a documentary about girls and education in Ghana Clapping with One Hand: Sally Nuamah at TEDx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app