Hey Jane

Hey Jane! is a monthly advice column on the SWS listserv that addresses issues of interest to feminist sociologists and sociologist-activists. The name honors Jane Addams, a feminist sociologist not always recognized enough. This Q&A is hosted by the Career Development Committee, who solicits anonymous questions and responses from multiple SWS members. If you have questions or suggestions, please e-mail Susan Hinze at susan.hinze@case.edu. All columns are archived below.

• Hey Jane! Volume 26
  How Should I Negotiate What Seem Like Ever-Increasing Service Burdens? How Can Administrators Develop Best Practices for Service for Faculty?
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 25
  "I need to get grants! What advice can you offer about seeking funding sources and putting together an application? What sorts of resources are available? Help!"
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 24
  I am currently on the market and preparing for my first campus interview. What advice can you offer as I prepare my job talk?"
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 23
  For this month' s Hey Jane! Column I asked you to send me your "best" piece of advice. Thank you to everyone who responded. I have organized what you sent (with minimal editing) into topics for quick reference.
  
  My personal top three "best" pieces of advice include:
  
  1. Learn how to say no.
     
  2. You will be the smartest person in the room during your dissertation defense.
     
  3. Done is better than perfect.
     
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 22
  "I am preparing for my 3rd year review and am wondering how to best address negative student course evaluations in my statement. I am particularly concerned that some comments seem to be a reflection of the student ’ s perception of my personal characteristics and feminist teaching style rather than a reflection of how much they have learned during the semester. Help!"
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 21
  "I am on the job market and have been asked to participate in a phone interview. My department has prepared me well for the on-campus interview, but I am less confident in my phone interviewing skills. Help!"
  
  
• Hey Jane! Volume 20
  "Although I already have a tenure-track job, I have decided to go back on the job market. I am afraid that if I don not include a letter of reference from a colleague in my current department, then the search committees will think that I am underperforming in my current job. What advice can you give me about informing my current departmental colleagues about my job search?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 19
  "I want to cite my friend ' s work in my new book , but I don ' t know if it is appropriate to do because of our relationship. I do not want to recreate the ' Old Boys Network ' of which I have always been critical."

• Hey Jane! Volume 18
  "My graduate training has prepared me well for a career in academia, but I would like to work outside of the academy. What do I do?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 17
  "I'm beginning to think about retiring from academia and I hear people talk about "planning" for retirement - what kinds of plans do I need to make? "

• Hey Jane! Volume 16
  "My partner and I have both been offered fantastic jobs in different states. We are trying to decide whether or not to attempt a commuter relationship, what advice can you give us?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 15
  "I've just received a job offer. How do I negotiate?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 14
  "I am in a position where I occasionally have to help manage conflict between faculty members or between graduate students (or between faculty members and graduate students)."

• Hey Jane! Volume 13
  "I have a sabbatical coming up, what are some interesting ways I could spend this time and what steps do I need to take to make it happen?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 12
  "How do I negotiate being pregnant or nursing an infant while I'm on the job market?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 11
  "I have been denied tenure at my institution, what do I do now?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 10
  "I am part of an academic couple, what advice can you give me and my partner on searching for jobs and negotiating a dual hire?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 9
  "I would like to get involved ASA governance and leadership. How do I get started?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 8
  "Negotiating family/pregnancy leave PART II: The view from administration..."

• Hey Jane! Volume 7
  "Negotiating family/pregnancy leave PART I: The view from expectant parents..."

• Hey Jane! Volume 6
  "Mentoring, Part II: How do I manage a mentor-mentee relationship?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 5
  "Do I need a mentor? What would I talk to a mentor about? How do I find a mentor?

• Hey Jane! Volume 4
  "How can I meet more scholars in my area of specialization? How can I get my name known among scholars in my area?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 3
  "I earned tenure four years ago and am now swamped with committee work in my department and college/university that I was protected from before.  How can I find time to work on promotion to full?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 2
  "How/when can I say "no" to service work such as serving on committees, directing theses, etc.?"

• Hey Jane! Volume 1
  "I'm not sure if I should put up a poster about a political rally on my office door. Should I?"

Joya Misra
Chair (winter 2009 - winter 2011)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Email: misra@soc.umass.edu


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