Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 37, No. 244.
        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
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        Date: 2023-10-07 15:51:34+00:00
        From: James Rovira <jamesrovira@gmail.com>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 37.241: the lab: a solution; or remarks on a problematic situation

I have to say I empathize a great deal with Bill Pascoe's frustration, and
I think Jaroslav Pelikan's comments in 1992 are probably more applicable
today than they were in his day.

I would say that the working distinction between research oriented fields
and practice oriented fields, which is still relevant and necessary even on
the accreditation level, probably does not serve us well in digital
humanities. We need to maintain that distinction in a number of fields,
however: it's the difference between someone doing clinicals, which would
be hands-on practice performing specific tasks, and writing a master's
thesis, which may not be as useful for someone who really needs clinical
experience to complete their education. It also affects who we view as
qualified to teach, especially at the graduate level. No one should be
teaching a literature class at the graduate level without a Ph.D. because
that's research oriented study. However, creative writing is a practice
oriented field, so someone with a master's degree, or even just highly
successful in the field, can be allowed to teach creative writing at the
graduate level. Who wouldn't want Toni Morrison or Neil Gaiman as their
college teacher for some courses?

But I think Bill's post makes a strong case that we need to eliminate this
distinction in the field of digital humanities work because it is truly
hybrid work: the "digital" component is inherent to the project, always,
and how it is constructed guides research outcomes. The researcher is still
the researcher, but how the research product is constructed is increasingly
dependent on a very specific skill set, and there does need to be real
dialog between the two in terms of understanding the object of analysis.

I would also add that the FT positions he has been denied are being denied
most people across the spectrum in all fields, and this is a matter of
politics and state budget allocations. Pitting the researchers against the
"support" staff or against adjuncts is to miss the point. These decisions
are being handed down by state governments and even the federal Department
of Education: the Obama administration, for that matter, wasn't exactly
faculty friendly in its guidance on education, so you can imagine how
Republican administrations are, especially post Trump. They are playing on
working class fears and resentments of people with college educations to
mobilize a voting base. That does not bode well for a healthy and
productive higher education environment.

Jim R

--
Dr. James Rovira <http://www.jamesrovira.com/>

   - *David Bowie and Romanticism
   <https://jamesrovira.com/2022/09/02/david-bowie-and-romanticism/>*,
   Palgrave Macmillan, 2022
   - *Women in Rock, Women in Romanticism
   <https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Rock-Women-in-Romanticism-The-
Emancipation-of-Female-Will/Rovira/p/book/9781032069845>*,
   Routledge, 2023


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