Final syllabus is drafted! Not finalized and I'm leaving it a bit open so as to be able to add more readings etc. later on. However, I'm a firm believer in syllabus as contract so I have all the assessments hashed out and grade weighting determined. Details of assignments, etc. can be put off for a few days.
I also found out I'm only going to be teaching 2 courses instead of my usual three--unfortunately I lose one of my favorite classes to teach, but on the plus side am keeping "my old standby" which I've taught so many times I can answer questions weeks before they are asked. :-) And I'm still teaching the 'new prep' as well. My course reduction is a result of someone else's course not making and a shift in the schedule. I guess my dept. chair likes me well enough and recognizes I do my share of committee work (I'm on a super important one right now) and I'm also finishing the diss and job hunting. So it's not like I'll really get to enjoy the 'extra' time.
A successfull run through of my research presentation for my upcoming interview resulted in a few changes and tweeks. Going to give a practice presentation tomorrow to a couple of friends and then move on to a larger audience on Monday. So far...it's coming along. I've only wished about 20 times that I would have something simple like a 't test ' to present. :-) No! I had to do somehting fancy in my dissertation--I never considered the fact I would have to present this complicated monster to strangers in hopes of getting a job! Actually, I think it will be fine and hopefully my "natural teacher" inside will come out and help me break it down so a highly intellegent non stat nerd can understand my analysis.
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6 comments:
It's a tough call between giving job talks that impress people with how complex your diss. is and giving job talks that are accessible enough that everyone thinks you're an awesome speaker. I tend to err on the side of the former, I think.
I totally worry about the "presenting the stats" thing. I have watched job talks at which people's stats come under heavy fire, and I worry worry worry about knowing enough about the stats I use to be able to justify and explain them inside and out! It's gonna be all t-tests for me! But no paired t-tests, them's hard to explain. :)
Oh way to raise my anxiety.
My diss is *not* complex. At all. I believe my analyses were appropriate for my questions, but anova and muliple regression are just not super-fancy by any stretch of the imagination.
And yet I doubt (A LOT) my ability to articulately discuss said simple analyses. Espeicially in a job talk. Especially if I feel (and I bet I will) that I am being "ganged up on" by several people at once.
I also am profoundly tired of the idea that I am supposed to be okay with people picking apart my stats (and methods and, well, everything) during a job talk.
I know, I know. "If you can't defend your work in a job talk, then you have no business in academia." And "The whole point of scholarship is intellectual debate, which is inherently critical."
Perhaps I don't belong in academia. I think we have some quite solid evidence for that assertion. At any rate, trying to defend the choices I made a year ago to a room full of people in a situation that was already anxiety provoking sounds like my worst nightmare.
So, uh, yeah, I'm a little concerned about the job talk part of this.
Sorry about the rant.
SuperB
Yea, my rantings should have very little impact on your anxiety level> I HAVE to be able to explain this--I'm a quantitative methodologist (aka Stat Nerd).
I AM that person that picks on stats in other people's presentations. (yes, 'cause it's fun!)
We live in similar but still very different worlds...
Stop being so down on yourself!!
Right now!!
I swing between having screaming anxiety about the possibility of having to give a job talk (see SuperB for the list of things I'm scared of) and grave concern that I will never get invited to give a job talk! It's a damned-if-ya-do, damned-if-ya-don't situation. Thanks goodness for the real stats lovers in the world, Statgirl; you make academia possible for those of us less sure of our abilities in that area.
dice singer
I'm with dice singer - the wait to find out whether or not I'll even have a chance to get my methods ripped apart is what is killing me!
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