Now Ye're Talking - To A University Lecturer

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Are you happy living out your career as a lecturer or would you eventually like a head of department or president role even if it meant moving college?

I would be very happy to work away as a lecturer. The role of department head varies from place to place, but the trend is towards making it a rotating position rather than a permanent one, so the senior people kind of take turns of three or four years taking the department in their direction. It's an incredibly demanding job, and if you are in it forever you'd never write anything again. It's a great chance to create an educational legacy within the department for yourself, but I'd really not like the idea right now (not that it's remotely a possibility). I would definitely like to have a senior chair of some kind, like the Heaney Chair in Trinity or the Chair of Anglo-Irish in UCD (I'm just using those as examples as they are the most high profile chairs around). Apart from anything else, they are well paid, but they bring with it a certain responsibility as a public intellectual that I think all lecturers in English should aspire to if they care about spreading understanding and love of the subject.

I don't think I'd like to be a university president, or any of the senior people in the administration (Deans, chancellors etc). It's essentially giving up your subject, which is what I really wanted to do, not run a university. A president is also in the public eye, under massive scrutiny. The only ones I can name are ones I thought made universities worse places in all sorts of ways. Great money, but to be honest they can have it, I'm not interested.

What is your view on the role of Student Unions in colleges? Do they really have a voice?

I think the Unions have done a good job in securing rights and privileges for students over the decades, and their ability to organise over the Fee issue over the last seven years has been remarkable. No denying that. I also think there is a lot of bullsh1t attached to the unions, and when I was a student I really didn't like the kind of people who were involved in union politics, it seemed like they were the most petty bunch of power hungry climbers I'd ever encountered, and the sight of hordes of them badgering people in the corridors in their t-shirts getting people to vote for their buddy still makes me nauseous to this day (I'm young enough that they still mistake me for a student sometimes, which is nice). But that's an unfair generalisation that is bolstered by not being a part of it, or ever being particularly active in it.

They were never much help for young grad students when it came to their awful employment conditions, I know that much. But then again the grad students never really involved themselves in the unions either.

I'll put it this way, if the unions weren't there, as some students seem to want from time to time, student involvement in the decision making of the college would be zero and the experience of being a student would be worse. They are a strong, confrontational presence in the decision-making process of the university that often regards students as a cash register, and certainly doesn't always have their best interests in mind. How much power they really have I don't know, fortunately I have nearly nothing to do with the administration of the university. I know the union will provide a representative to accompany students who are meeting the plagiarism board. Which is definitely a good thing for everyone.

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

eternal wrote: »

Hello. I'm planning on studying an English Masters after receiving a 1H in the undergrad. What chance do I have to teach after this without doing a PhD? How plausible is it to regain a first class honours at postgrad level do you think? What are the possibilities to PT lecture considering I spent three unrelated years studying Fine Art? I feel a bit unclear as to my future prospects. I should add I'm widely published.

You probably won't get to teach without doing the PhD, the department regards the limited teaching opportunities available as part of the doctoral training, their PhDs need teaching experience and those roles provide that.

As to getting a first class honours in your masters, it's perfectly possible. If you're good and you work, it's no harder than getting the 1H you got in the degree (and congratulations on getting it btw).

The background in Fine Art wouldn't make any difference but you'd have to be studying for a doctorate in the department (I got some teaching outside of my college during the doctorate, in other departments, but if I wasn't doing the PhD that wouldn't have happened)

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Have you published any non-academic material? Short stories, poems etc?

No. As a kid I wrote a fair bit of bad poetry and some acceptable short stories, but I've never had the cojones to try and publish any of it. Don't really feel like I have the ability or time to do it now, I'm always in awe of an academic who writes a good novel, I never know where they find the time.

poster2525

My son is currently in his first year of university studying English (and other subjects). He seems to have a great love for the subject area. What advice would you give him as he negotiates his way through the degree? Thank you!

evolving_doors

What's the money like?

Any perks ? (free-parking, printer paper ...secret societies etc).

NotCominBack

If you measure one of your feet, and it is less than 12 inches, can it still be considered a foot?

Rubecula

Is it less or more expensive to be a student in Ireland than in the UK?

Earthhorse

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

I didn't even get an A in the Leaving Cert

I did. My question; wanna swap jobs?

More recently I've wished I had studied economics...

I did. My question; wanna swap jobs?

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Hey folks, just saw another bunch of questions now, I'm not ignoring them but I'm pretty shattered and going to go sleep. I'll pick them up in the morning. Really enjoying the questions by the way. I know my answers are too long and rambling, but I'm really terrible at sticking to word limits. (Which is an important skill I don't have)

Musefan

What has your experience of working with students who have disabilities been like? For example, We know students with mental health difficulties are more likely to study in the humanities sector etc... How do you manage the impact of disabilities in your classes and do you feel supported by the disability office in your institution...

sunbeam

What is the highest mark you ever awarded a student for an essay or exam answer? Scores of over 80 percent were unheard of back in the early nineties when I was an English student. Is this still the case?

I'm heartened to hear about the feedback students seem to get nowadays because back then we received practically none. Seriously, for our final year extended essay we just picked a random topic and handed it in. There was no guidance whatsoever. It was very difficult to improve without knowing where you were going wrong.

North of 32

Do you think there's an element of elitism among academics? As a student, I often get the sense that there's a great deal of mutual back-patting and communal congratulating among lecturers. One particular manifestation of this is around conferral/graduation periods, when those awful robes and hats come out.

You've already mentioned how contributions to academic journals can be written in obfuscating prose. Do you think articles are argumentative enough? I study English literature and I believe the research and criticism is important, but a lot of articles I read are languid and feel quite reserved about making a strong point. Do you think theory and criticism should be more polemical?

Schools in universities are notorious for adhering to certain modes of thinking. I know it's a bad example and I'll understand if you can't entertain it, but with feminist theory so advanced and popular now, what do you think would happen if a lecturer did not ally with feminist arguments? Would that person find themselves out of a job pretty quickly?

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

A mix of reasons were involved in my decision to leave. I was invisible to the university. Lectures had over 200 people, and weren’t always taught by the same person week-to-week. Tutorials, though small, were not engaging and the (very young!) tutors seemed bored. I was also just lazy and found studying critical theory and Chaucer very dry :pac:

Sorry to hear your experience wasn't so good. Regarding the lectures, UCD is of course the biggest university and English is one of the biggest departments. The lectures being given by different people is probably part of their policy, as it exposes you to a wider variety of approaches and expertise, although it can be alienating. The idea is that the tutorials are supposed to obviate that by giving you an anchor. It's a shame that you had bad tutors, my experience, both as a tutor and reading feedback as a coordinator, is that the students love their tutors for the most part, find them engaging and enthusiastic, as well as being their main contact point with the department. There will unfortunately always be bad ones.

Can't do anything about your last point there though!

The main factor in my decision to leave was that I failed most of my second year exams. I wasn’t showing up to classes or engaging with the material. I was having personal issues outside college which sucked away any enthusiasm I might have mustered for the course, and the prospect of “wasting” my time on a “useless” degree was entirely unappealing. I felt that completing the degree wouldn’t give me any more career opportunities than I had already.

Well, if you're not showing up and not interested, then you were correct to drop out because it presumably wasn't the course for you. I think a lot of people in Ireland go to university for entirely the wrong reasons and study English for the wrong reasons as well (I once asked a first year class what their favourite books were as an ice breaker, and several students said they didn't like to read...I mean what the hell are they doing in English?!). Others feel pressured to go and do a course of study, and don't honestly see the point. It's best to follow the path you feel best about.

That said, I have always flirted with the idea of going back and completing my studies. I think I would not go back to UCD though for reasons I mentioned in my first paragraph. I left in 2011 so things may be done differently now. I know the music course has changed twice since I left!

I don't know if you'd find things much different than 2011 in terms of how it's all organised. Your enthusiasm for doing it might be different and that can change everything but it is still a very big course with huge numbers and limited contact time. It might be worth looking into a smaller university though, or an evening degree where there are fewer people and a more intimate set-up

I have read Ulysses and I know what you mean :pac: Thank you for taking the time to answer this, I appreciate it

No bother!

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

poster2525 wrote: »

My son is currently in his first year of university studying English (and other subjects). He seems to have a great love for the subject area. What advice would you give him as he negotiates his way through the degree? Thank you!

If he loves it, just keep on loving doing it. If he is interested in pursuing a postgrad like a masters or something, that he should try and speak to his lecturers in person, go to their consultation hours and explain that he's interested. As I say, it's a big department usually, and lecturers don't know the undergrads very well, but they are usually (I wanted to say always, but maybe that's not true) very happy to talk to someone enthusiastic about it, and they will give him good advice. And if he is doing a research project like an undergrad dissertation, talk in great detail to someone BEFORE doing a proposal, he will end up doing a far better research project than if he just tries to think something up (unless he's unusually well-read).

But this kind of advice is all very general. One tip I would give to a promising student: try and tackle some of the more difficult texts on a given course for your essays or exams, or incorporate ones from later in the course. Lecturers are correcting hundreds of scripts, and about 80% of them will deal with the first text on the course, or the first two or whatever, or especially the least challenging text or exam question. If you take a risk and stick your neck out, you are far more likely to be saying something that nobody else in the class has thought of, something surprising and insightful, and you give much less of an impression of going through the motions, as many students simply regurgitate key points from the lectures (the goddamn Leaving Cert is what I blame). Also, you will find it all much more rewarding, IMO. We know what Roy Keane said about going with the flow...

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Armelodie wrote: »

What's the money like?

Any perks ? (free-parking, printer paper ...secret societies etc).

The money is poor enough considering the amount of time you spend studying. As I said, I spent most of my twenties with very little money, and after the doctorate if you're doing adjunct work you will be earning poverty wages that you are usually entitled to social welfare alongside (I filled out dockets for two or three years even though in effect I was working full time, was only being paid about two hundred a week).

I earn the same as an entry level teacher right now. The scale is much bigger I think, high level professors earn very good money indeed, but of course there's very few of them. I would be earning far more by now if I'd done secondary teaching (with the opportunities that were available when I finished college in 2003, not the situation my students face these days after doing a dip), and would probably have better job security. I'd also be certifiably insane.

The perks like that are limited. Yeah we have free stationary. I don't drive but I think you can get a staff parking disc that is pretty cheap. There are opportunities, very competitive and difficult, to get research leave for a semester at a time which is a fantastic thing to get (I'm not permanent so I don't do that). There are no secret societies, but I do pay dues to be a member of a professional society the Modern Languages Association, and it is a well-guarded secret where on earth that money goes.

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

NotCominBack wrote: »

If you measure one of your feet, and it is less than 12 inches, can it still be considered a foot?

Yes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homograph

The Black Oil

Teacher bashing is a common sport for elements of the mainstream media and in online debates. Do you find this applies to third level, or that the public has an overly negative view of what you do?

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Rubecula wrote: »

Is it less or more expensive to be a student in Ireland than in the UK?

I don't know if I can answer that question too accurately. We still nominally have free fees here, although your registration charge is sky rocketing every year. It's still less than fees by a long way. England I think has a kind of loan system in place. My suspicion is that, for the most part, it would be more expensive over there, and while I'm not certain on this, if you attend a Russell Group university (Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Bristol etc etc) it is more expensive again.

DublinArnie

Sorry, didn't read through the whole AMA to know if you answered this.

Would money be a factor in becoming a lecturer? Also, would it be viable to take up research (if you were a lecturer in a science field etc) for extra money?

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Earthhorse wrote: »

I did. My question; wanna swap jobs?



I did. My question; wanna swap jobs?

I don't know what you do for a living, but, no. All I meant was I wish I was more familiar with certain aspects of economics that would help with some areas of research I'm interested in right now, I definitely wouldn't want to work in that field.

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

Musefan wrote: »

What has your experience of working with students who have disabilities been like? For example, We know students with mental health difficulties are more likely to study in the humanities sector etc... How do you manage the impact of disabilities in your classes and do you feel supported by the disability office in your institution...

I've had a fair bit of contact with students with disabilities, particularly dyslexia, and various nervous conditions that make in-class contributions very difficult for them. I've never, really, had a student with a disability that I felt had impacted negatively on the class experience. Unfortunately I can't really comment on whether those students felt that my classes accommodated them sufficiently. You do get a lot of guidelines on examining and accommodating those students from the disability support service. My impression is that they do a very good job of easing the path for students with disabilities, insofar as most such students seem to acclimatise well to my courses, which isn't something I can't take any credit for.

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA

What is the highest mark you ever awarded a student for an essay or exam answer? Scores of over 80 percent were unheard of back in the early nineties when I was an English student. Is this still the case?

Well, in some institutions the grading system has changed somewhat, and now instead of number grades, letter grades are given (UCD uses letter grades, UCC still uses numbers). I should note, for those reading, that in humanities, over 70% counts as a first class honour. Not to toot my own horn, but I got over 80% in my degree, although that is probably due to changes in the grading system during that time to some extent (that isn't just false modesty). The highest grade I've ever given is an A+ which would count as over 75%. I have probably given an individual essay over 80% (the letter equivalent being A++) but I don't think anyone got something like that as an overall grade on a course.

I'm heartened to hear about the feedback students seem to get nowadays because back then we received practically none. Seriously, for our final year extended essay we just picked a random topic and handed it in. There was no guidance whatsoever. It was very difficult to improve without knowing where you were going wrong.

Well, there's still not enough. Tutors in particular are not given enough feedback time with students at all. At one point during the recession I was expected to grade essays and had no consultation hours for feedback. Which was absolutely ludicrous and defeats the whole purpose of assessment (a letter grade is meaningless unless you get some sort of advice on how to improve it in future). There is a huge amount of room for improvement in this area.

poster2525

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

If he loves it, just keep on loving doing it.......... We know what Roy Keane said about going with the flow...

Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed response!

(Note: I just cut out all the detail you gave for ease of reading in the thread!)

Rubecula

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

I don't know if I can answer that question too accurately. We still nominally have free fees here, although your registration charge is sky rocketing every year. It's still less than fees by a long way. England I think has a kind of loan system in place. My suspicion is that, for the most part, it would be more expensive over there, and while I'm not certain on this, if you attend a Russell Group university (Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow, Bristol etc etc) it is more expensive again.

The reason I asked the question is a complex one but allow me to explain, I was a mature student some years (decades) ago and the system has changed since those halcyon days. I loved my time at Uni and if I could afford it I would find a way to be a student for life. (Or maybe if I were deemed intelligent enough, I would like to follow your road) I am now closer to retirement than I would like to admit to, but as I live near Holyhead I would have a choice of places to study (Back home in Liverpool naah been there done that and got the T shirt - literally) Bangor just half an hour from home, or Ireland (Dublin, the place of my family history) I would prefer Ireland, but should it prove too difficult or expensive I may settle for Bangor.

JuliusCaesar

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

However, I'm of the opinion that literary study possesses intrinsic value to our society, and can enhance our understanding of ourselves.

You might be glad to hear from a psychology lecturer that I have often told students that there is more psychology in the study of literature than there is in psychology. As regards how and why characters behave the way they do. Which is why students start off studying psychology - but we don't provide this

challengemaster

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

I think a lot of people in Ireland go to university for entirely the wrong reasons and study English for the wrong reasons as well (I once asked a first year class what their favourite books were as an ice breaker, and several students said they didn't like to read...I mean what the hell are they doing in English?!). Others feel pressured to go and do a course of study, and don't honestly see the point. It's best to follow the path you feel best about.

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

as many students simply regurgitate key points from the lectures (the goddamn Leaving Cert is what I blame).

You've pretty much answered what I was going to ask, but I might as well anyway :pac:

I think it's been pretty obvious for the last number of years (certainly during the tiger years) that students who don't know what to do, end up taking Arts. Whether that's to do with Arts being seen as an 'easy' degree, only taking 3 years, or otherwise - I don't know. From what you've said, would a lot of these students would gravitate towards English with the expectation that it will be an easy course?

It's clear that the LC (and IMO even degree level exam-focused learning) does form a tendency to just regurgitate material and rote-learn. Would you say that the LC English course is in any way adequate for preparing students to study 3rd level English? It's a common complaint within STEM, particularly maths, that students entering 3rd level lack basic fundamental skills and knowledge to study that subject.

Do you feel that undergraduate study is rightly or wrongly centred around exam-based learning (as opposed to continuous assessment)?

Does English research require a lot of funding? And what are the success rates for grant applications in general within humanities subjects? I know in Science, the grant success rate is about 15%.

Fluorescence

I do have another question if you don't mind.

Recently I've been reading about third level institutions in eastern Europe, particularly Czech Republic and Slovakia. For most of their courses, there is little to no essay writing or written exams. Rather you study the material, are given a choice of 3 topics on the day and then have an oral exam with your examiner to explain everything you know about that topic. It is common practise in second level as well.

How would you feel about that kind of assessment here? Is it too foreign to our educational culture to work? Are our courses simply too large?

Earthhorse

I'm A University Lecturer, AMA wrote: »

I don't know what you do for a living, but, no. All I meant was I wish I was more familiar with certain aspects of economics that would help with some areas of research I'm interested in right now, I definitely wouldn't want to work in that field.

It was a trick question; I'm unemployed. :cool:

osarusan

In a subject like English literature, how is the focus of courses decided, and who selects works to be studied for each course?

With that in mind, what's the piece of literature you've given lectures about that you thought was least deserving of a place in a university course?

wnolan1992

What is your opinion on group projects?

Is there actually value to be had, or are they just assigned so that the lecturer doesn't have to correct individual assignments from each student and/or as part of some sick vendetta in order to heap stress on students who lecturers see as being layabouts and drunkards?



EDIT: Have I made it too obvious that I've had multiple bad experiences in group projects? :P